Welcome to The Law Offices of Last Name, Last Name, and Last Name.
That’s what most clients see and hear when they encounter your law firm’s name for the first time… and maybe even for the fifth.
In fact, we’ve heard plenty of stories about clients who know their individual attorneys but couldn’t recall the firm’s name for the life of them — even after years of doing business together!
It’s one of the many advertising woes that attorneys deal with (or simply choose not to deal with, unfortunately) every day. Lawyers are too busy to become marketers, and they usually aren’t graphic designers either, so it’s all too tempting to slap a name on a sign and be done with it. But that’s not good for business.
Mind you, some of this is embedded in the profession. Law firms have been blandly named for centuries. Indeed, your own firm’s name might date back generations, with the eponymous partners long since deceased.
Moreover, law firm names are subject to a number of rules and regulations, so you don’t always have the creative license to come up with a captivating title the way any other entrepreneur would.
Besides, even if clients complain that law firm names are boring and difficult to remember, there might nevertheless be a hidden bias at work. In other words, the public might trust a boring string of last names for no other than reason than it sounds “lawyerly.”
So if we accept that your firm name might not be the catchiest corporate brand in all the world, what can you do to set yourself apart and make an immediate impression on the public?
Welcome to the artsy, nerdy, and not altogether lawyerly world of logos for attorneys.
Yes, even the planet’s longest list of last names can be made appealing — and even exciting — when you have an exquisite graphic designer on your side. Effective branding can make all the difference for a legal practice struggling to compete in an ever-crowded market. But there’s some science to this craft, and today, we’re going to share a few guidelines for getting the best law firm logo you can find.
How Important is a Law Firm Logo?
Ah, the instinctive response of an attorney with too many folders on his or her desk.
When you’re busy, marketing and design will always look best on your back burner. But what’s really burning back there is a business opportunity.
We’re here to make the case that law firm logos are actually a critical part of the prospective client’s decision-making process. Whether it’s a modern law firm logo or something more traditional you need the logo.
After all, your clients have more than their fair share of law firms to choose from. Studies tell us that most people today run a quick Google search and quickly peruse a few of the top-ranked websites before deciding which office to call. Others choose from the litany of attorney ads they see on TV or (less frequently these days) in print.
Ultimately, they’re making snap judgments. What kind of law firm are you? Are you any good at what you do? Are you smart? Professional? Trustworthy? Hip to modern times? They’ll make that judgment on a number of bases — your website’s aesthetic, what it says, whether it’s mobile-responsive, what your lawyers look like, etc.
They’ll make that judgment on a number of bases — your website’s aesthetic, what it says, whether it’s mobile-responsive, what your lawyers look like, etc. A law firm logo is a big part of that. In fact, your logo is likely to be one of, if not the, single most visually impactful engagements a potential client makes with your business. In other words, it’s a big deal. And that brings us to our first law firm logo tip…
1. Think About Where You’ll Use It
Websites are the primary forum for attorney marketing these days, but your logo needs to be primed for many other purposes too. For example:
- Your law firm’s logo will appear on the top of stationary, for one thing, and that means it ought to look good in both color and black-and-white.
- It’ll appear in big print some places but might get scaled down in others… so nothing should be hard to make out from a distance.
- Some printers, like those used by many local business card suppliers, don’t handle intricate design elements well, so stay away from extravagant flourishes in any symbols.
- Finally, make sure the logo looks good in multiple colors. You’ll almost certainly have a standard brand scheme that you’ll use in almost every instance. But imagine your firm is invited to sponsor a booth at a community function, and your mostly red logo is going to be printed on a red background alongside some of your competitors. Have a color-proofed alternative ready so that your brand will always stand out!
2. Don’t Be a Dad
Remember when you were a teenager? How would you have rated your father’s fashion sense in those days?
Don’t adopt a dad-like logo. No one wants to work with a firm that looks like it’s still practicing law the 1970s way.
To be clear: we aren’t suggesting you try to be super trendy with your design choices. Don’t adopt a teen-like logo either! But do keep your finger on the pulse of modern graphic design.
Today’s most effective law firm logos tend to have a few traits in common. For instance, they are:
- Clean (not a lot of visual flair to distract the viewer)
- Minimalist (nothing too flashy)
- Bold (they make a statement… visually)
- Pithy (seven words max, if you can help it)
- Free from clunky or cliché fonts (never Comic Sans!)
- Limited to one or two colors (three at the most)
- More muted in color (not excessively bright or cartoony)3. Only Work with the Best
3. Only Work with the Best
Graphic designers are probably underappreciated. Just as Instagram led everyone to believe they’re a photographer, and WordPress led everyone to believe they’re a web designer, inexpensive applications like Photoshop Elements have led far too many people to call themselves graphic designers.
A well designed logos has the potential to be incredibly valuable to your brand (just like your website does), so this is something you really want to get right.
The best graphic designers boast a three-fold skillset. They are:
- visual artists,
- technical wizards, and
- marketers at heart.
If they have experience designing law firm logos, that’s all the better.
You’ll probably want more than one stab at getting your graphics just right, so make sure you understand your designer’s revisions process thoroughly before signing a contract, and never hesitate to ask for a portfolio of their previous work.
Resist the temptation to rush through the logo design process. This image is going to be with you for a long time to come.
Our 50 Favorite Logos from Law Firms Across the US
If we had picked a fourth tip, it would definitely be to look at what everyone else is doing. Don’t be a copycat, of course, but do look for inspiration.
Fortunately, we’ve gone on an inspiration quest for you, uncovering fifty of our favorite law firm logos. Take a glance below and examine how these design-savvy practices make the most of the design tips we’ve shared.
Your Firm’s Logo Should Match Its Website Design
Nowhere will your logo catch more eyes than on your website’s home page. It’s important, then, that the rest of your site look as top-notch, modern, and fetching as the graphic itself.
Of course, there’s a lot more to great attorney web design than just the aesthetic. Strategic coding, content writing, and SEO are some of the most powerful legal marketing tools in the world, and they’re all part of the website package.
At Juris Digital, we’ve assembled a team of experts from every area of attorney web marketing. Together, we’ve created some of the most effective law firm websites on the internet, and we continue to manage them to this day.
There’s a reason we’re one of the top-ranked attorney web marketers on Google, and it’s the same reason so many of our clients have seen their practice grow after entrusting their online presence to Juris Digital.
Let us marry your law firm logo with a website that will help you bolster your bottom line. Contact Juris Digital and find out what we can do for you today.