If Foursquare’s Superhero “F” could talk, it might say “the brand’s technology has become much more sophiticated then in the past as it supports enterprise companies with a variety of advertising media campaigns.” That’s the idea behind Foursquare’s newly announced redesign.

Foursquare based its original brand identity around the Superhero “F,” according to David Godycki, creative director at Foursquare, who recently spearheaded the rebranding of the company’s identity.

“The original brand had a playful identity,” he said. “It had a chunky typeface, with a little blue, watermelon and bright colors with stickers, all part of the consumer brand.” 

Superhero “F” (Foursquare) is a nickname created by cofounder Dennis Crowley that stuck.

Godycki said creative content agency Playlab designed the new look with minimal clean lines and a white-and-black design accented with the color hyperlink blue to create a nostalgic feeling that connects with users. After all, the company is all about connecting people based on location.

He then integrated the work into production such as the website, collateral, favicon, and branding materials.

Today, Foursquare is an independent location technology platform creating enterprise software. Godycki said “there’s still a small consumer business, but there’s a data and a software business.”

The company began as a consumer app launched in 2009 in the early days of social media. It reflected the fun “check-in” times when it seemed like a novelty to acknowledge that technology could identify someone’s location.

The technology also allows those using the app review businesses and read recommendation. In a sense it became the gatekeeper of authenticity.

In 2018, the company pivoted into location advertising and enterprise software. It took the consumer brand and pared-down the colors to reflect the new direction, but initally there was internal conflict on the position of the brand, so the company put the change on hold until last year. Trough this pivot, Foursquare realized it needed a new identify that reflected enterprise software.

In mid-2019, Foursquare acquired Placed, bringing to life the real need for a rebrand.

Godycki joined the company in late 2019, and picked up the work that Playlab had begun the year prior. The new branding reflects the company’s new culture and  represents the enterprise direction. Meanwhile, in March, the company merged with Factual.

“We tell complicated data stories for clients,” he said. “The brand needs to not overpower data stories or narratives. It needed to be clean and simple. The design needed to be flexible.”

The design had to relay three things such as credibility, adaptive, and contemporary.