Especially in today’s increasingly digital world, you know that your law firm logo design needs to be able to turn heads, keep people on your website, and increase your brand recognition.

And while you have the legal knowledge to make any witness quake in their boots?

When it comes to creative and modern logo design for your law firm, you’re not as confident.

Don’t panic. Instead, read on.

In this post, we’re sharing with you six of the most important things that you need to take into consideration when dreaming up your law firm logo.

From making sure you have a legal logo that can stand the test of time to knowing when the time is right to work with a graphic designer, we’ll tell you what you need to know.

1. Keep it Classic

Especially if you’re designing a law firm logo, it’s essential that you stay away from trends.

While having a trendy logo might get you noticed?

Ask yourself if it’s really for the right reasons.

While a central image of a pink barrister’s wig for your all-female law firm or a drawing depicting a lawyer chasing an ambulance might get a few laughs?

Unprofessional images like this aren’t exactly going to win you new clients.

While these might be more extreme examples (at least, we hope they are) it’s just as important to steer clear of trendy fonts and the so-called “color of the year.”

Remember that, if you have to re-design your logo every year, it’s going to be tough for potential clients to keep track of your brand. Aim for a logo with a classic look.

Think bold, legible font that’s easy to resize for a variety of applications, from business cards to billboards. Additionally, when choosing a strong central image, go with something you know will never go out of style.

Columns, stars, the scales of justice, and even a drawing that uses your state’s seal in some way are all classic images for a law firm logo design.

Remember that it’s possible to create a sleek and modern logo design with the right formatting, a bespoke font, and a wise color selection. You don’t need to rely on cheap “gimmicks” in order to get your firm noticed.

2. Get Inspiration from Other Firms

So, now that you know more about what to avoid at all costs when you’re creating your law firm logo?

Let’s talk about how you can get inspiration from others when it comes to dreaming up the perfect design. The goal of conducting this sort of “competitor research” is just as much about knowing what works as it is about avoiding over-used images in your own design.

Look for common elements that you find attractive in a logo design.

Perhaps the words and images used in the design are well-balanced. You might notice that the color scheme of the logo is malleable enough to be used in other design aspects, like a law firm’s website.

For an example of how the colors of a law firm’s logo can inform other website design choices, check out the Finelli & Shaw website.

The black and yellow-gold “company colors” of the logo translate well to the yellow, black, and white design of the website as a whole.

Think about how your law firm logo’s colors, font, and other elements will work with the rest of your branding strategy.

3. Minimalism Is Best

Earlier in this post, we spoke about the importance of focusing on creating modern logos, while at the same time working to ensure that your design doesn’t become overly trendy.

But in addition to avoiding trends and hard-to-read fonts?

You also want to be certain that your design doesn’t look overcrowded. Just as you are with the cases you decide to take on, when it comes to your logo design, you’ll need to be selective.

If your law firm’s name is especially long, ask yourself if you need a central image at all. Is a drawing representing your firm worth running the risk of overcrowding your logo design? Is including one more color in your overall design scheme really as important as legibility?

And what about white space? Do you have enough of it?

White space can make your entire logo design pop, and also makes it possible for you to have more of a minimalist design. White space communicates to clients that you’re not desperate to get their attention.

It says that your law firm’s reputation — and its name alone — is strong enough to stand on its own.

4. Choose Your Colors Wisely

Let’s face it: for many people, the idea of a day in court is incredibly stressful.

Are the colors that you’ve chosen to make a part of your logo design actually stressing potential clients out even more than they already are?

This is where taking the time to learn a little bit about the psychology of color really comes in handy. For example, did you know that using red in your logo design can actually cause those who see it to experience an increase in their blood pressure levels?

Additionally, people have certain associations with specific colors.

If you’re an eco-friendly law firm, it would serve you well to use green, brown, or blue in your design. If you’re a corporate law firm, sticking with basic black and white may be your best bet.

5. Keep Images Active

So, you’ve decided to adopt a more modern logo design for your law firm.

Instead of more cliched and expected images that represent the legal profession, you’ve come up with something a bit more unique.

Before you commit to a final image?

Ask yourself whether or not the drawing you want to go with is an active design as opposed to a static one.

But what is active design?

Let’s look at the Apple logo as an example. The image isn’t of a whole apple. Instead, the brand’s central image is an apple that’s had a large bite taken out of it. The same with Twitter’s logo. It doesn’t show a bird balancing on a light pole. Instead, it shows a bird in flight.

Both of these either hint at a past action, or actually show the central image in some sort of movement.

This is much more compelling than a static, stamp-like design. So, make sure that you show a gavel coming down, as opposed to one just sitting on a desk somewhere.

6. When in Doubt, Ask a Professional

At the end of the day, the law is what you know, do, and love best.

No one expects you to be a creative logo designer on top of knowing the ins and outs of personal injury law in your state.

Part of wanting the best when it comes to your law firm’s branding and marketing strategy is knowing when it’s the right time to hand the reigns over to someone else.

For example, you might want to think about hiring a professional typographer to come up with a bespoke font for your logo. Then, you’ll have a font that you can use on your website and other promotional materials.

This gives your target market just one more way to recognize your brand.

You might also want to work with a local artist who can help you to come up with a unique and on-brand central image for your logo.

Hand drawn designs are an excellent way to embrace a modern logo design, without running the risk of coming across as too trendy. Plus, a drawing immediately sets your law firm apart from your competitors.

Don’t be like those other firms, all of whom are likely using an eerily similar stock image in their own logo designs.

Show your clients that you’re interested in going your own way.

Ready to Bring Your Law Firm Logo to Fruition?

We hope that you’ve found the law firm logo design tips in this article helpful.

Above all, we hope that you feel much more confident about either designing your legal logo yourself, or at least giving some serious input to the graphic designer you want to work with.

The best way to understand if you have a winning law firm logo on your hands?

Use our free online logo maker tool to compare different design options, colors, fonts, and images.

Still not sure that you’re ready to start creating your logo just yet?

Keep on reading our blog to get access to invaluable logo design tips. Let us help you to take your branding strategy to the next level, and to gain more clients as a result.