Here’s a truth bomb for ya, I started my company with a dream, a firm grasp on learning-as-I-go and about $300 in my savings account. No fancy business degree, no plan, just a girl with a laptop and…one client. Crazy? Maybe, but I was that eleven-year-old figure skater who was more interested in starting a skating dress company than working on my double salchow…so, you could say starting my own business was always in the cards.

The first thing I knew my business had to have was a name. I also knew I didn’t want that name to be my own because the thought of explaining for the millionth time that my last name wasn’t actually “Gowelin”, that it was pronounced Gaulin (like Colin but with a G) seemed utterly exhausting to me. So, as I curled up under the blankets on my couch, laptop in hand determined to get inspired by those who had come before, my mother happened to walk into the room and ask if we could watch the next episode of Fringe – a sci-fi meets CSI type show with which we were both equally obsessed. As we watched, I thought how delicious the word Fringe was … it was short, and its meaning totally appealed to the girl who fancied herself “on the outskirts of normal.”  I decided then and there that would be my company’s name. I mean I was about to change the face of Real Estate Design, of course, the name HAD to be equally audacious!

Fringe served me well as I grew my little engine-that-could company from one client to hundreds. But as time passed, my company changed, changed again and then changed some more. I started to realize that I had a logo and a name that no longer represented what my company stood for or the values it had developed along the way. It was time for a change. If I could equate the feeling to anything it would be like growing out of that super cute (and short) jean skirt that you once rocked but now just screamed 1998. Sometimes it’s time to move on, and that’s exactly what we did.

SO HOW DID WE DO IT?

It started with crafting a mission statement and defining our core values. I knew I wanted this new iteration to be more than just postcards and property brochures I wanted to take people on a journey of self-discovery and arrive somewhere where they loved their business and how they looked running it. I also knew it was time to branch out and start offering more. I wanted to offer education, introduce podcasts, and products. So we started where we always do, Pinterest. We created a board called “Fourth Street Visuals” and went to work pinning everything that made our heart sing and our minds explode with design ideas. I like to call it Design Brain – when your mind is filled to the rim with shapes, colours and fonts, there’s no room for anything else like what to eat for dinner or normal chitchat with friends.

After our board was overflowing with inspiration, we went to work crafting a new logo, and visual identity with fonts, colours, and patterns. We wanted high end and laid back with a touch of vintage pizzazz cause if we could, we would totally pull a Marty McFly and Delorean our way back to 1955. We then researched the real estate market, design trends, and created systems and workflows to make sure everything was wrapped up with a neat and tidy bow.

Our reason for the change was ultimately rooted in a desire to elevate our offering and help realtors love their brand so they could move through their business with confidence and presence.

We genuinely hope you enjoy the all-new Fourth Street Creative and everything it promises to do for you and your real estate business.

Wondering if your brand needs a reboot? Check out this post.