As we agonise over the question of how many brands there should be for the department, for the government (for Europe, the galaxy and beyond…) we tend to overlook the thorny question of what any such overarching brand might be called.  Luckily help is at hand in this rather splendid piece of puff from the heyday of dotcommery (you may need to sit through an ad to get to the article, but it’s worth it).  As one of the professional brand namers irrefutably puts it:

"Let’s put it this way," says Redhill. "Over the years, we have created and sustained many of the world’s most durable brands. We make a lot more hits than companies who think up their own symbols and names. I’m not suggesting that a company couldn’t get it right with a stroke of insight or genius or luck. But if it’s your own brand, how can you possibly be objective?
I mean, would you name your own baby?"