The Tetris of words: naming a pharmaceutical

Lieba Golden-Koulendros got into the naming business by accident.

“I met up with an old friend who happened to be working at a branding firm where they had just developed the name Viagra,” said Golden-Koulendros. ” I asked him to give me a try.”

But an accident doesn’t count out destiny. Golden-Koulendros always had a flare with words. She adores crossword puzzles and puns. She sees the work as similar to playing a game of Tetris or solving a Rubik’s Cube.

Now 20, years later, Golden-Koulendros continues to name products and businesses, and creates taglines for companies big and small. Like many other people in creative industries, she also suffers from “word” block.

“When I’m feeling stuck, I dig into my Latin studies,” Golden-Koulendros said. “I go online and look at other brands. I may go to other countries online and look at their brands. I’m just a super word nerd, always capturing a turn of phrase that catches my eye or my ear.”