What a great name Paul Small has. Perfect for his new real estate team, too — memorable and tied to his personal brand.

Focusing initially on the upscale Westside community of Manhattan Beach, the team handles properties across Southern California. But in SoCal the lure of the water is always present. From Malibu in the north to Palos Verdes in the south, that’s where you’ll find many of the most desirable homes.

So when Paul asked us to create a logo for his new business, we were happy to help. But how to say “beach communities” in a fresh way?

Inspiration on a phone call

One afternoon, Paul and I were screen-sharing as I showed him some initial ideas . When suddenly, I remembered a postcard I’d seen years ago. A simple image: a beach chair in the sand.

I sketched the concept very roughly while we were on the call together. And it was enough to get the idea across. Paul loved it. Certainly, it evolved as we refined it, but the seed of the new logo was planted on that call.

Like FreeAssociates, the Small Team gets results.

They might not stay small for very long.