designation

noun

act of setting aside something, or devoting it to a particular purpose; (in the legal planning context) action of choosing a place for a special purpose or giving it a special status
process of determining an incumbent's successor
effort by a reigning monarch in a non-hereditary monarchy to influence the succession by naming a preferred candidate
role in the triangle of reference model
a label that can be applied to an entity to mark it as a member of a group