A logo is an essential tool for any business. Choosing a memorable logo for your law office is just as crucial as a fast-food restaurant! The logo allows potential clients to recognize and remember the firm and its high quality of work.
A good logo should be simple and memorable and reflect the values that the firm believes in. It should also portray professionalism and trustworthiness.
For some great examples of law firm logos, we went to Vault.com and looked at their list of the top 100 law firms. The description for this list states:
“Vault’s national ranking of the most prestigious law firms based on the assessments of lawyers at peer firms. This year, more than 20,000 associates rated the reputations of firms other than their own. Vault’s 2022 Rankings are derived from Vault’s Annual Associate Survey conducted from March 2021 through May 2021.”
In this article, we will be looking at the law firm logo design of the top 10 law firms on the list.
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
First on our list is Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. This law firm has been around since 1819 and is credited with developing “the blueprint for the modern American law firm and many other professional services firms powered by human capital.”
The firm’s professional logo is a timeless one for the legal industry. A blue background with “Cravath” written in white capital letters, this logo is clear and easy to read with complementary colors that stand out to give the firm a unique visual identity of simple elegance. Even though the practice doesn’t use the entire firm’s business name, clients know exactly what practice the branding is for.
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
The second-ranking firm on our list is an example of a legal practice that has a strong logo. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is located in New York City and was founded in 1965. Although the company does not have the longevity as some of our other law firm logos on this list, they do have a great logo!
Typing Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, & Katz into your browser will give you two variations of their logo. Different colors are used depending on the source. One of their logos is very traditional, with white block lettering on a white or blue background spelling out the name of their practice. The second is a bit of a creative take on their firm logo in which they have shortened it to read WLRK in large block letters with a green rectangle border around the letters. Underneath the rectangle, the names of the attorneys are spelled out.
This secondary branding idea works great for many law firms as it allows them to expand their branding beyond just a detailed list of names.
Skadden
Skadden Law Firm has been around since 1948. Though it took a bit for the law firm to take off, they have been tipping iconic scales in growth over the past three decades.
As far as law firm logo designs go, Skadden is a beacon in the law logo department. Whereas you often see designers for law firm logos using many blues and greens, on Skadden marketing materials and business cards, you will find a bright red background with white lettering.
This symbol of color can represent that the brand is looking for justice for its client. This bold take says that using the services and resources of an attorney with the expertise of Skadden is the best possible option for any client.
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP has been an inspiration to other specialty law firms for many years. So in creating their current logo, they decided to take the design process and do something that other legal services don’t tend to do for their law logos.
Sullivan and Cromwell’s branding agency designers threw out the majority of the clutter. Instead, they went with a simple blue background and displayed “S&C” in white block lettering for their law firm logo design.
It may be easier for a shortened logo to fit on marketing materials such as business cards or pamphlets as a business with a longer name. These are areas where a lawyer will need more room in the limited space to express the ideas of what your company can do for a client!
Latham & Watkins
Latham & Watkins comes in at number five on the Vault list. This law firm provides services for 29 offices around the world and maintains around 3,000 employees.
Matching other top law firm logos, Latham & Watkins has dropped most of the letters for their law firm branding in favor of a shortened legal logo. The logo design is white block lettering on a deep-red background.
Kirkland & Ellis
If you’re sensing a theme in the world of attorney logos, you might be onto something. When it comes to the logo design for a law office logo, simple is best.Â
Kirkland & Ellis is a prime example of this simplicity in a logo design. A blue background with a capital K is their chosen attorney logo.Â
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
Law firm logo ideas are not something that is going to come from a logo design contest. Very little creative ability seems to be necessary for most logo designs.Â
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, a firm formed in 1849, is one of the oldest in the nation. They specialize in business and tax law and have a visual identity that is very similar to the other top law firm logos on this list.Â
Crisp white lettering on a blue background with the “DavisPolk” fully spelled out for their firm logo design makes Davis Polk timeless. In addition, the simplicity of the logo makes it easy to integrate into marketing materials and business cards.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Speaking of simplicity in a firm logo, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett have taken their law firm logo to new heights. The designers who had a hand in creating this logo found inspiration in letting the attorney show off their unique value without a flashy logo.
On a White background, Simpson sits on top of the logo in brown. Underneath Simpson in gray is Thacher. Nothing more, nothing less. Perfect for an attorney logo.
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
A gray background with white lettering that says “Paul|Weiss” is a much easier firm logo design than if the designers would have spelled everything out. A legal logo for a solo law firm or even an extensive attorney practice doesn’t have to be complicated.
Gibson Dunn
The previous law firm on our list is slightly different from the other top law firm logos.
All of the other logo designs we have gone over have been lettering on a solid background. Gibson Dunn used their designers to create a white to gray ombre background for the black lettering of their firm logo.
New Beginnings can be Cause for a Change of Pace
Now that we have gone over the top law firm logos, we know that none of these above-mentioned firms will win a logo design contest.
There is very little creative flow to most of these firm’s logo designs that we just went over. They are all very basic. The most variation that you see in these firm’s logos is type font. Where one lawyer might not like the way that serif fonts look and choose another, another may believe that sans serif is the only option for their logo design.
However, in 2021 when you are searching for a law firm logo design that fits your law firm perfectly, a solid background with a few letters might not be an option. For a firm logo to stand the test of time, you don’t want yours to look like every other law logo out there.
When it comes time to design law firm logos for a website or a pamphlet, Fusion Marketing has your back. Creative logos are what we do best.
In a World Full of the Mundane, Create a Brand That Will Stand Out
Did you notice the recurring themes in the top law offices?
Aside from the fact that most of those offices have been around for many years, the law firm logo design was simplistic with a primary background color and lettering. This type of logo has a name, a text-mark, or a letter-mark logo.Â
Letter-mark logos are very common for law firm logo design. It is easy to see why. It doesn’t take much to design law firm logos when those are the specs. However, with the power of Fusion Marketing behind you, there are no limits on what can be done for law firm logos.
As a new law firm needs a logo that fits what you do, be it tax law, personal injury, or anything in between, your top priority is to create your brand and get noticed! Fusion can help create a firm logo that will bring attention to your firm! So why not make your attorney logo stand out from the crowd?
What Will Help Make Your Law Firm’s Logo Get Noticed
Although letter marks are commonly used for law firm logos, Fusion Marketing has your back when it comes to creative law firm logo design. If you’re looking for something simple yet creative, Fusion Marketing is the company that can do just that!
From geometrical shapes to fonts other than a basic sans serif, your logo designers use time and resources to make sure they are doing a job that will bring you clients. From geometrical shapes to fonts other than a basic sans serif, every logo piece says something about the brand they represent.
There is so much more that goes into designing the best law firm logos than people think. Check out our recent article How Digital Marketing Can Boost Your Law Firm’s Clientele for a rundown of what a graphic artist puts into a logo design.
Why Should Your Firm Use Fusion Marketing for All of Your Legal Logo Needs
From law firm logo design to marketing materials, we have the experience you need to succeed in business.
At Fusion, we are the brand ambassadors for your law firm. We can assist you in ensuring that your new logo design meets all of the requirements to make you stand out from the crowd! So, if you are ready for a new and improved look that makes your legal firm stand out more than the competition, give us a shout today.
Contact Fusion Marketing today!
