A law firm’s visual brand is captured by its logo, including its images and color palette. Your law firm’s logo might stand the test of time, or it might need a refresh. Maybe you’ve always loved your law firm’s logo and don’t know if you should change it. Or perhaps you have never quite felt like your logo fits your brand and wonder if now is the time to change it. It may seem small in the grand scheme of things, but this can be a big decision. So how do you make this decision? If you decide to update your logo, how should you go about doing so?
Is it Time to Update Your Logo?
As with any brand or business decision, don’t rush into updating your logo. You should make sure that it’s a good time and something you want to do. Ask yourself if it makes sense to do it now or would it make more sense to wait a year or two. Here are a few reasons you should strongly consider changing your law firm’s logo:
Your Firm’s Name is Changing
If your law firm’s name will or has changed substantially, for instance, you have added at least one new named partner, now is the time to change your logo. You want a current logo that represents what your brand is today. If your logo doesn’t match your current name, your audience, including potential clients, may not associate it with you. Your brand recognition will suffer. Changes are often best clumped together, so if your firm’s name is changing, now is the optimal time to update your logo.
Your Logo is Outdated
Logos that have been around for a while might look or feel outdated. Perhaps the font style or the colors used need to be changed so it feels more current. Believe it or not, something as simple as an outdated logo can turn some people off to a brand. Keeping things new and fresh is often beneficial.
If it’s been many years since you took a new look at your law firm logo, now might be the perfect time to upgrade things.
You are Rebranding
Rebranding is an ideal time to change or update your law firm’s logo. A new logo can help kickstart a rebrand and help your audience visualize what you want to accomplish with a rebrand. People will notice the change in your logo, which will cue them into your rebranding, possibly sparking new interest and curiosity about your firm.
Should You Start with a Blank Slate?
If you’ve decided to update your logo, you might be wondering where to start. Updating your logo doesn’t necessarily mean starting from scratch with a blank slate. Depending on your reason for rebranding and the changes you’d like to see, making small changes might accomplish exactly what you want. These minor changes might include:
- Different color shades or intensities
- Updated font styles or different size font
- Using more than one font style
- Adding different imagery
Alternatively, you could start fresh but incorporate your law firm’s colors or a recognizable image the way you did with the old logo.
Work with a Qualified Designer
Whether you are making minor changes to your logo or starting over entirely, you want your logo to look polished, in line with your brand, and aesthetically pleasing. The best way to do this is to work with a qualified designer.
Start by giving the designer a feel for your law firm’s brand and discuss how you want your audience to feel when they see your logo. Tell them what your law firm values and any specific colors, fonts, or designs you want to incorporate. Be clear about any elements of your logo that you want to keep or if you want to begin from the ground up. The more detail you can provide them with upfront, the more likely they will hit the mark, making the project less costly and time-consuming.
