Which format on business would be best for me, LLC or DBA?

The two are not mutually exclusive because DBA is not a form of business, it simply means "doing business as", thus the owner of the business, either you or some entity you create, such as an llc or corporation, would be "doing business as" some trade name.  Forming an LLC would offer other benefits, such as protection from personal liability, but would offer little protection for the name.  Registering the name as a dba would help some, but what would help more (although nothing can promise complete protection) is if you were able to register the name as a trademark.