Introduction
Logo development is a fun and important component for your firm. But let’s be real: it isn’t going to make or break your business. Don’t let the creation process become an anxiety-induced affair. Here is some helpful guidance on logo development so you can get that component knocked out and move on to the more important parts of growing your firm.
There are three main components that need to be addressed when designing your law firm logo:
1. MESSAGING – 2. STYLE – 3. FUNCTIONALITY
Variations in Design
Before we go deeper into those components, it is important to understand that it is okay to use variations of your logo if the variation can be justified. The main portion of the logo should be consistent. You do not want to use initials in some logos but spell the firm name out in others. A good example is using a tagline on your business cards to remind people of the services you provide but leaving off the tagline in the logo on your website to avoid clutter and redundancy. Or perhaps you want to have a black and white version to make printing easier.
Messaging with a Law Firm Logo
Whether or not you plan on doing a lot of marketing, it is a good idea to have a variation that includes a tagline. There are two distinct approaches to a tagline:
Popularity is gauged using several different metrics:
- What you do – Aggressive Criminal Defense
- Something else – Proven Advocates, Tough & Trusted, The Hammer
A firm that has only one practice area may decide to use a tagline that clearly says what they do. This might come in handy if someone has your business card in their wallet and it’s unlikely they will know what type of lawyer you are without that description. That wouldn’t be an option for a general practice firm that might decide to put ‘Proven Advocates’ in the logo but then list the practice area of the attorney under the individual’s name. An injury law firm that is spending a lot of money becoming known as ‘The Hammer’ would need that in the logo to keep their messaging consistent.
Logos with Style
This is where most firms get hung up. They get too wrapped up in being perfect or being different. If your firm is going to be spending a ton of money on marketing, then hire a branding agency if you want something complex. OTHERWISE, KEEP IT SIMPLE.
- Color – Here is a good article on choosing colors: https://www.canva.com/learn/choose-right-colors-brand/. Colors can be detrimental if they contrast with your services. You wouldn’t want bright and fun colors if you are a criminal defense or probate lawyer.
- Images – I am indifferent on including images in a logo. What we most often see is something about the local area. Firms in cities with mountains will include mountains. Or a river. Or a skyline. It isn’t that they are bad – they are just used often.
- Fonts – Here is a good article on fonts: https://venngage.com/blog/brand-fonts/
- Twists – There are many minor design twists that are used in logos, such as merging letters, using a signature, or making one letter much larger than the others.
The worst logo is the one that loses its functionality.
A logo visually tells people the identity of what they are looking at. If the logo fails at that, it is a bad logo. Here are some examples of bad logo design:
Using initials without pairing the logo with the full name of the firm or the name of an attorney. CNN, PNC, and AIG can get away with it. Google often uses the ‘G’. Their brands are well-established and internationally known. If you want to put the money into being locally known, have at it. But that doesn’t work until brand awareness is established. Putting nothing but initials on a billboard is a waste of money, because no one is going to know what those initials mean.
- If you put a lot of money into establishing a brand around your initials, what happens if a partner leaves the firm?
- This type of logo is acceptable for business cards, because the name of the attorney is also there. The same goes for letterhead.
If people can’t read your logo, it has lost its effectiveness.
If a logo detracts from the main purpose of what the logo is being used on, it is a bad logo. The main issue has to do with size. If the logo is too big, that can cause problems on websites or business cards.
Logo Updates
Most major brands will update their branding every 3 to 5 years. If trends in design and industry changes have not been too great, then the company might be able to wait 5 years. The law firm industry is a mature, professional service industry. Expectations for law firms are going to be different than those for high-tech businesses like Google or Apple.
A logo is a small component of the firm’s overall branding. It’s possible the firm may never need to update the logo if it is simple and uses timeless fonts and elements in a simple manner. Typically, more complex logos will require more frequent updates. What is more likely is that other components of the brand will need to be updated, like the firm’s website.
Production and Costs
You have several different options when getting a logo designed.
- Here is a DIY free logo maker: https://www.freelogodesign.org/
- 99 Designs specializes in this type of work and the process is simple, with several different pricing options: https://99designs.com/categories
- You can hire a contractor to work one-on-one with you: https://www.upwork.com/hire/logo-designers/
- Most marketing agencies are capable of this work, and it is often an add-on to their core services. You can also hire a branding agency, but that is when the costs are going to be substantially higher.
You can spend anywhere from $100 to $10,000 on a logo. There are a few determining factors for price:
- Quality of the designer
- Number of design drafts, revisions, and variations
- Additional Offerings: Brand Strategy, Letterhead, Business Cards, Email Signature
To get a professional level design, expect to pay $500 for just the design. If you want a full brand package, to include letterhead, business cards, and email signatures, expect to pay $1,000 to $1,500. These costs could increase depending on the design complexity and pickiness of the firm.
Learn how to drive maximum marketing ROI by optimizing your website for conversions.
