Lineate

When a big, well-known brand steals your company’s name

After a decade of success, Ben Engber’s company, Thumbtack Technology, hit a rather unusual snag: A newer, bigger, consumer-facing brand was using the same name. Thumbtack—the online service that matches customers with local professionals—wasn’t competing with Ben’s custom software development company, but the name was starting to cause problems. Ben and his team decided it was time for a dramatic change: They set out to rename Thumbtack Technology.
Heirloom explored over 1,000 name options that conveyed ideas like extracting answers, connecting dots, and simplifying. The new name, “Lineate,” suggests delineation—to outline or clarify. (“Lineate” is also a real word meaning “marked with lines.”) Based on the new name and the company’s strategy, Heirloom then created a full visual identity system, including logo, typography, color palette, iconography, and imagery style.
In a blog post announcing the name, Ben wrote, “We feel that Lineate is both more descriptive and more distinctive.” And Lizzy Gallagher, CRO of Lineate, wrote, “Thanks for the wonderful work. … I am so over the moon and happy with what you’ve provided. … We are all very happy with our new brand and … get a great response from customers old and new on the name and ID work you did for us.”