Solve naming architecture challenges with the Four-by-Four Framework for Naming Systems

How to bring clarity, consistency, and scalability to complex portfolios

Naming isn’t always about finding the name—the name for the company, the product, the service. Instead, the naming challenge is often about managing many names. As portfolios grow, making sense of a set of related names can get increasingly complicated.

From SaaS platforms with layered pricing tiers to consumer brands expanding into dozens of SKUs, organizations are increasingly tasked with managing entire ecosystems of names. Without a system, portfolios quickly become confusing, inconsistent, and difficult to scale.

That’s why we’re excited to introduce our Indigo Paper: The Four-by-Four Framework for Naming Systems.

Why naming systems matter

A naming system is simple, in theory: A set of related names for related items.

In practice, it’s what helps customers understand your portfolio. Internally, it helps teams stay aligned as new naming needs arise.

Done well, naming systems:

• Clarify relationships between offerings

• Signal differences in tiers, features, or versions

• Reduce internal friction

• Support long-term scalability

The framework, simplified

The Four-by-Four Framework brings structure to naming by combining:

How items relate:

• Grouping

• Hierarchy

• Ordinal (good–better–best)

• Temporal (versions over time)

How names relate:

• Structural patterns, e.g.,

  • Shared components (prefixes, suffixes)

  • Other shared structures

• Semantic patterns, e.g.,

  • Shared meaning

  • Relational cues

Together, these form a practical matrix for building—or diagnosing—naming systems

A smarter way to manage naming system

The Four-by-Four Framework isn’t about one “right” way to build or manage naming architecture—it’s about understanding the possibilities and choosing the right system(s) for your portfolio.

Whether you’re managing a few offerings or a growing, increasingly complex portfolio, it helps ensure your names work together and create clarity—not confusion.

Download the Indigo Paper

Explore the full framework here.

Let’s build your system

Need help structuring or refining your naming system? Get in touch with Heirloom.