A logo represents your law firm to the outside world. It will appear on your business documents, such as business cards, letterhead or advertising brochures, and will also be used on your website. It is intended for long-term use, so it should have a high recognition value and be usable in color as well as in black and white without loss. In addition, a logo must be easily scalable (vector graphics) and usable on all media. Often, several versions of a logo are provided, e.g. a compact version and a long version or a portrait and landscape format, thus ensuring versatility.
A logo can be purchased today already very cheap, templates or symbols without a big statement can be found in large quantities on the Internet. But it's about the identity of a company, so you better show format and individuality, it's worth it.
Who will design my individual logo?
You don't have to get creative yourself. Look for a designer or an agency that has experience in CI and logo design and can show sample work and references. A logo is created in interaction with the creative and you, the customer.
Your trademark should be practically self-explanatory, it represents your firm and your brand. Give the graphic designer the necessary input. Then follow up with an analysis of the firm and its target audience. Whether character marks, figurative marks or word marks - you should consider and plan this together. Feel free to get inspiration from colleagues, but be brave, don't become a follower!
Now layouts and sketches are created in the first design phase. Here, initial logo ideas are visualized using different fonts and shapes, colors and fonts are chosen and tried out until the final version is created, a harmonious combination of font, color and design. Whereby it is not enough to just write the name of the firm - there are many typographic possibilities and subtleties that need to be considered. Sometimes a small modification of the typeface is enough, and the brand name becomes an individual signet and is immediately recognizable.
Or have a figurative mark designed, which initially always appears in combination with the typeface, until the overall logo has achieved a sufficient level of recognition. Then the figurative mark can also stand on its own and is immediately associated with the product or the law firm. In the best case, you identify with the design and the colors.
The effect of color psychology and archetypes (primal signs)
Of course, the choice of colors plays a big role in the design. Again, restraint is better than being too wasteful with colors. Limit yourself to a maximum of three colors. Here you should not only be guided by your own color sense and personal preferences.
Color psychology plays a major role, colors cause different associations.
Colors that are too bright stand out, but may seem too intrusive; tones that are too light cannot be read. Every color contains a message, avoid sending the wrong signal. Did you know that blue is the favorite color of Germans? It looks cool and relaxed, radiates seriousness and confidence, while red attracts great attention, stands for happiness, joy and energy, but can also look very aggressive. Orange can quickly appear gaudy and evokes the strongest reactions - it looks fashionable, exciting and extroverted. Green symbolizes order, growth and vitality - also confidence and youth, while yellow, the color of the sun, stands for warmth, joie de vivre, luxury and optimism. Brown signals down-to-earthness, autumn and poverty. White, physically the sum of all colors, symbolizes neutrality, innocence and cleanliness, whereas black represents darkness, practicality and loneliness. It can look both conservative and modern.
The primal signs, the archetypes, also evoke special associations and can be used in a targeted manner. Thus, the circle has always been considered a symbol of unity and perfection.
Other basic geometric shapes are, for example, the spiral, the triangle, dots or the cross. Such shapes can be complemented with a logo font to form a word-picture mark. Word-picture marks are best remembered. The simpler and more concise the structure, the more memorable they are.
What criteria must effective and successful logo design meet?
A successful logo symbolizes the personality of your brand and conveys the law firm image. It attracts attention and stands out from the trademarks of your competitors. In terms of color and style, it fits perfectly with your products or services, has a high recognition value and corresponds to the current zeitgeist without being "fashionable". After all, it should still be current in a few years.
When it comes to logos, "less is more" often applies. Reduce to the bare essentials, according to the formula KISS: "Keep It Short (and) Simple". Do without unnecessary additions. Your clients will remember what is simple.
A well-chosen logo gets a message across, evokes positive and strong associations without showing a concrete image. How many nurseries use an image of a tree in their logo, hairdressers a pair of scissors! They certainly can't differentiate themselves with that, it's boring and one-size-fits-all design. In this way, you have lost the chance to stand out from the competition and anchor yourself in people's minds as an individual, creative brand. Sometimes it takes courage to stand out from the crowd, but that's the only way you'll be remembered.
Of course, the design of the logo, both the color scheme, the fonts and the formal design, must fit your specific business, as the target groups are very different. Attributes such as modern, bold, serious, noble or extravagant must first be analyzed and determined before the designer begins with the first sketches.
Logo design especially in the legal industry
In order to stand out from the flood of law firms, it is particularly important in logo design to stand out with a simple, significant sign and also to be remembered. (Recognition effect). The rule here is: less is more. You should do without unimportant things, flourishes and too many colors. The brand name should also be easily recognizable in black-and-white ads or by fax and be easily scalable. Sometimes it is helpful to combine the name of the law firm with the logo, this also helps to memorize the name and the signet.
The choice of color is also an important marketing decision because color evokes associations that are controllable because they convey messages. Use a few colors that you specify in the CD corporate design. These colors will then be associated with your firm.
A lawyer's logo should radiate seriousness, security and competence; this is how you appeal to potential clients and create trust.
The Regional Court of Düsseldorf has ruled (AnwBl. 1999, 116) that no bulls may be depicted in the logo of a law firm; they could arouse misleading associations such as strength, power and aggression. You also have to be careful with slogans and not promise exaggerated solutions. However, this decision might be outdated by now in terms of European law. Please check it if you want to use a bull in the logo 🙂