SOUTHEAST OFFICE: 828.877.2699
Tungsten Branding
5540 Centerview Dr Ste 204 PMB 779709
Raleigh, North Carolina 27606-8012 US
How it all started
After seventeen years of running a full-service advertising firm in Tampa Bay, Tungsten founder Phil Davis had a thought. “Why not create a naming agency that focuses on brilliant branding so that companies don’t have to compensate with expensive advertising and marketing?” Rather than spending hundreds of thousands in media buys, what if companies were so well named, aligned, and branded that the marketing “drag co-efficient” was significantly reduced. In other words, the brand would simply speak for itself.
The result was Tungsten Branding.
The story behind our name
The name Tungsten comes from the filament in the light bulb, the one that Thomas Edison found after experimenting with over a thousand different metals. It is a unique metal that absorbs energy and translates that energy into light. And that lights provides insight and clarity. It’s a great metaphor for what we do! We help you gain a clear understanding of exactly who you are, what you do, and how you do it differently.
We’re just wired this way.
The team behind our names
A founder-led group of naming and branding experts
The core Tungsten team comes pre-equipped with decades of real-world company naming and branding expertise across the medical, technology, and financial sectors. We also draw on an extensive network of specialists in trademark, consumer research, name validation, and linguistic testing.
Phil Davis
Founder & President
The “head lightbulb,” as he likes to say, Phil has spent the past two decades doing what he loves most: aligning company names and brand identities with their core mission and purpose. Best known for naming PODS, he has guided more than 750 naming and branding engagements, helping clients find the central idea that brings their business into focus. He leads Tungsten’s naming strategy and creative direction, bringing curiosity, candor, and an owner’s
Blake Wall
Director of Business Operations
Blake has led Tungsten’s operations since 2018, overseeing project schedules, budgets, client relationships, and domain and trademark research. His background in brand strategy and creative management keeps each engagement focused, coordinated, and moving smoothly from discovery through delivery.
Derek Coté
Director of Visual Design
Derek helps turn a brand’s central idea into a distinctive visual identity. A former art and design professor with an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, he developed his design practice in New York City, working with brands including Unilever, Quiksilver, and American Girl. At Tungsten, he contributes to discovery and strategy and leads visual design, assembling and guiding a specialized team around each client’s needs.
Tungsten Branding consistently ranks as one of the most awarded naming agencies worldwide
While our highest reward is doing great work for great people, we also appreciate the recognition of our leadership from peers in the industry. We’ve received numerous industry awards for our creative work related to naming products and companies, designing visual identities, and creating brands that resonate worldwide.
Tungsten Branding has been featured in:
Tungsten Branding: A Global Top 5 Company Naming Agency
As globally recognized company naming experts, the Tungsten team focuses on one thing and one thing only — creating crystal clear brand name identities that shine. Based in Raleigh, NC, Tungsten was founded in 1999 by branding expert Phil Davis. The firm has since grown from naming consultants, startups, and entrepreneurs to branding national and international companies, franchises, divisions, corporations, and nonprofit agencies.
We utilize best naming practices to highlight your company’s best qualities and develop your identity with a comprehensive brand story, complete with a platform that ensures continued growth.
If You’re Ready to Decide
If you’re facing a naming decision that matters — whether early, late, or somewhere in between — we can help you move forward with clarity and confidence.