Bold and memorable: How law firm branding colors help you stand out from the crowd

At fSquared Marketing, we have helped many law firms rebrand over the years. Clients come to us for a new or refreshed brand for a number of reasons. Often, it’s a name change due to a shift in the partnership, or to shorten a lengthy firm name to something that has a stronger marketing presence. Other times, firms simply want a new look to be in step with the times or to better reflect their current and evolving client base. 

One thing is certain: Each and every time a firm wants a rebrand, they want to be different or stand out from competitors in their market. That is a request that is always front and center during initial client meetings to discuss the rebrand. When asked what colors the client would like their brand to embody, we often hear blue or red. 

There is usually a fear that choosing colors outside of those two will be too different. By leaning away from colours they perceive as not professional enough or serious enough, the client may end up selecting designs that move them away from their original goal of wanting to be different and to stand out. 

Let’s take a moment to look at the top 20 law firms worldwide, by revenue. Here we see a color grid of the primary brand colours of those 20 firms, broken down by color families. As you can see, the traditional blue and red law firm colors are incredibly dominant. 

Primary law firm branding colors of the top 20 law firms (by revenue) shown in order from first to 20th.

Law firm branding color families from the top 20 law firms (by revenue) 

Going back to the situations we’ve encountered; the question to ask is: Can a law firm brand be bold by choosing colors outside of blues and reds that over decades of branding and marketing have come to be associated with words like: professional, reliable, stable, proactive, sensible, trustworthy, timeless?  

The answer lies not so much in the color choice but in its execution. Being bolder with color choices and executing them throughout the brand in sophisticated, modern and thoughtful ways is a fantastic way to break away from the same old blue and red color palettes of law firms – and stand out from the competition.  

Bolder, stronger law firm branding colors 

There are several ways this can be achieved. One way is by choosing a bolder and stronger color like orange, fuscia, or bright green. Then we use it sparingly and in conjunction with light, airy and modern layouts, clean typography and pared-down imagery. Of the top 20 law firms mentioned, there is one that has gone down this route and has pulled it off with great success. Let’s take a look at Hogan Lovells. Their primary brand color is a punchy apple green, yet they use it only to highlight important callouts and actions on their website. They also combine it with layouts full of white space, clean and modern typography, and match it with more traditional choices in photography.  

A similar example is Harris & Company – using a bright orange in combination with very clean and simple layouts to give a modern and approachable take on this law firm brand.

At fSquared Marketing, we recently worked on a full rebrand for Stris Law that featured a combination of a bright fuchsia and a strong purple as the primary brand colors. We then paired this with a crisp black and white design language with tons of white space – as well as bright, modern photography. 

Muted and neutral law firm branding colors 

Another approach is to stay away from the strong and bold blues and reds by being bold and embracing more muted colors. These can be used in a broader context and then paired with stronger neutral colors like deep grays. This combination brings a feel of sophistication, elegance, and timelessness – while at the same time presenting something unique.  

More focus on unique typography and layouts is also key to creating a unique feel using these colors. The Danish firm Dahl does this well with subtle tones, great photography and beautiful typography. The same can be said about Hafnia Law with their use of light beiges and well curated photography in concert with minimalist layouts. 

Eyford Partners came to us at fSquared Marketing a couple of years ago for a full rebrand. Their focus was centered around the craftsmanship of the practice of law. We built on this and referenced ideas of hand-made, natural artisan tones like browns and coppers. These were very natural tones that paired well with a full sophisticated palette of greys to create a very unique yet very strong brand feel. 

The main takeaway is to embrace color as a viable differentiator when thinking of a law firm brand. The world of law firm brands is already full of blues and reds. We want you to be bold and different. Most importantly, we want to help you focus on how that uniqueness of color is executed to make sure the characteristics associated with your law firm brand still ring true.  

Are you ready to create a bold and memorable law firm brand?

Peter
Figasinski

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