At ONE400, we frequently ask ourselves, “What makes a great law firm logo?” An effective logo should be memorable, timeless, and unique, but an effective law firm logo has the added challenge of being professional yet approachable, and conservative but relevant.
It’s not an easy task to meet all of this criteria, but we managed to find five logos that inspire us and hopefully you as well.
We love how memorable this logo is. The bold and simple shapes that form the arch in the icon leave a strong and lasting impression. What really gives the logo a distinct personality are the fine touches such as the grainy texture in the icon and the complementary pairing of the bold slab serif font with the thinner condensed font underneath. By limiting the color palette to one color and having that color be a subdued neutral, this logo conveys a certain maturity that potential clients would find reassuring.
The words that come to mind when we look at this logo: sharp, elegant, and dignified. The design could have stopped at using two colors to distinguish the two triangles that form the “M”, but it takes it one step further with the gradient to create the illusion of folds. The folds are reminiscent of folded paper–if this was intentional, this subtle homage to the art of origami would only enhance the cultural context of the logo and the firm.
Like the Miyamoto Law Firm, this law firm logo is a fresh take on the classic monogram. We love how the “F” is created using negative space in the icon, elevating it from a simple letter to a polished visual that can stand independent of the name. Oftentimes, the name of the firm is set in a different typeface to distinguish it from the subhead. In this case, however, using the same font for both still sets them apart, but in a more subtle way. The red paired with the black is very striking, and along with the choice of an extended sans-serif typeface, this logo is the epitome of a contemporary and timeless mark.
Logos generally fall into five categories: wordmark, brand mark, combination mark, letter mark, and emblem. Out of these five, we don’t usually see emblems as much as the other types, possibly because it takes a certain audacity to pull it off. However, this law firm has done it with their logo, creating an emblem that is certainly distinct and refreshingly modern in its approach. It’s evident that much thought has gone into laying out all of the elements with the stroke width of the shapes matching the stroke width of the sans-serif letters. The lighter color palette is edgy for a law firm, but it would undoubtedly be approachable to clients.
This logo really pushes the limit for law firm logos. It is unabashedly modern from the choice of typography, stroke weight of the lines in the shield, down to the color combination. We are thrilled that a law firm has embraced such a modern aesthetic for their branding. The unspoken rule for law firm logos is to stay away from traditional symbols such as the scales of justice shown here, but as with Ace Law, this logo displays this symbol in a refreshing way.
Hopefully this post has provided some insight into what makes a great law firm logo. Interested in what makes a great law firm website as well? Check out our post on the best law firm websites of 2015.