---
name: polaris-content-naming
description: Craft strategic, consistent product and feature names that merchants understand. Covers capitalization, when to use "Shopify," avoiding acronyms, and naming patterns for components and icons.
---

# Naming

What to consider as you name products or features.

## Thoughtful Naming

Names influence how merchants and other audiences perceive and understand Shopify. A well-chosen name will:
- Put clarity above creativity
- Help establish a mental model for our audiences
- Enhance people's perception of our brand
- Increase adoption of the product or feature
- Differentiate Shopify from other products
- Clarify where a product or feature fits into our brand system

The naming process involves collaboration. Include different disciplines and people with different subject matter expertise in the creation of a name.

## Does It Need a Branded Name?

Most features don't need an official, branded name. For example, "order entry" is a feature that's referred to descriptively and doesn't need capitalization. Pick words that describe what the feature does or represents. Add extra context when possible.

### Do
- Order entry
- Display carrier calculated shipping rates to your customers at checkout.

### Don't
- Order Entry
- Display carrier calculated shipping rates.

## Using "Shopify"

Only Shopify can use the word "Shopify" in a name. Use "Shopify" in front of a name when a product:
- Is or will become a separate product or platform and we need to associate it with Shopify
- Should be differentiated from other, similar products in the industry
- Doesn't justify an evocative name, but still needs to be associated with Shopify

### Do
- Shopify Payments
- Shopify App Store
- Shopify Theme Store

### Don't
- Shopify Analytics (built-in feature)
- Shopify Discounts (built-in feature)
- Shopify Account (built-in feature)

## Descriptive vs Evocative Names

### Descriptive Names
Features and products connected to Shopify's main product offering should have names that reveal something about their purpose. Avoid jargon and make sure the name won't get confused with similar names.

Descriptive names should:
- Describe the experiences they represent
- Fit into the information architecture of the product
- Use merchant-friendly terms, not industry standard terms
- Make sense in marketing materials
- Align with brand

### Do
- Shopify Capital
- fraud analysis
- Use analytics to review your store's transactions

### Don't
- Shopify capital
- Fraud Analysis
- Use Analytics to review your store's transactions

### Evocative Names
Standalone products use evocative names to position us in the industry. These unique and bold naming conventions can help with branding or recall, but don't always help people understand the experience.

## Capitalization

### Default Features
Don't capitalize default features. Default features are built into Shopify and merchants don't have to sign up, add, or opt in to use them.

### Do
- Shopify Hardware Store
- Shopify Theme Store
- Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM)
- analytics
- fraud analysis
- online store
- themes

### Don't
- Shopify hardware store
- Shopify theme store
- Black friday cyber monday (bfcm)
- Shopify Analytics
- Fraud Analysis
- Online Store

## Acronyms and Abbreviations

### Stance on Acronyms
- Avoid creating acronyms
- Acronyms take longer to understand and might reduce adoption
- If you must use an acronym, spell it out the first time and follow with the acronym in brackets
- Internationally understood acronyms are acceptable (app, SEO)

### Do
- Rich text editor
- Multi label printing
- Merchant Success Manager
- Virtual reality
- Build a Bigger Business

### Don't
- RTE
- MLP
- MSM
- VR
- BABB

### Acceptable International Acronyms
- SEO, SMS, QR codes, HST, CVV, SKU, ISBN, UPC, GTIN, USD, NZDT, etc.

## Similar Names

Before naming a new product or feature:
- Conduct an audit of existing names to narrow down your naming choices
- Ask the support team to see if they think it'll conflict with another name
- Draft a test conversation around similar sounding names

## Referring to Shopify and Areas in the Admin

Use consistent descriptions when referring to locations in product. Capitalize page names in workflows, but not the word "page."

### Do
- The customer list is found on the Customers page.
- When a new customer places an order with your store, their name and information are automatically added to your customer list.

### Don't
- Manage customers in Customers.
- Customer information is automatically added to Customers in the Shopify admin.

## Using "App" and "Channel"

For app names in areas with surrounding context (like the app store or Apps page), don't add "app" to the end. For app names without surrounding context (like search), add "app" so merchants know what it is.

### Do
- Oberlo (with surrounding context)
- Bulk Account Order app (without context)

### Don't
- Oberlo app
- Bulk Account Order (without context)

For channels, make it clear merchants are interacting with a channel through Shopify.

### Do
- The Amazon channel now supports electronics listings
- Add Amazon (if channel is in surrounding content)

### Don't
- Amazon now supports electronics listings
- Add Amazon channel (if channel is in surrounding content)

## Component Naming

Be strategic and consistent when naming components. A good component name can:
- Increase adoption of a component
- Clarify where a component fits into our system
- Help establish a mental model for people using the components

In documentation: describe functionality, avoid jargon, use singular format, use sentence case.

### Do
- Type scale
- Empty state

### Don't
- TypeScale
- EmptyState

In code: use the same name but alter spelling convention to suit the implementation.

### Do
- TypeScale
- EmptyState

### Don't
- Type scale
- Empty state

## Icon Naming

Icons should be named consistently so they're easy to find and implement across Shopify.

Icon names should:
- Represent the intended function of the icon
- Avoid jargon so different disciplines understand its function

### Product Area Icons

### Do
- Home
- Orders
- Products

### Don't
- House
- Invoice
- Price tag

### Functional Icons

### Do
- Add image
- Search
- Settings

### Don't
- Image
- Magnifying glass
- Gear

### Icons with Multiple Functions

### Do
- Circle alert
- Camera
- Clock

### Don't
- Alert
- Photography
- Time