iHow to Make Your Logo Readable Online
The need for law firms to update their websites to be responsive is not a new concept, but how many law firms are aware of the need for a responsive logo as well? No longer is your law firm logo seen only on the glass door to your office, on your letterhead or in what was the key yellow page ad. Now you have to consider today's varied content platforms – from desktops to tablets to mobile devices.
When law firms first jumped into the world of websites, they were rigid with a fixed width, and the website was designed to accommodate your large, clunky logo within it. But responsive web design, along with brand development, has changed all that. Today, your logo needs to follow the same principles of a responsive website by changing and adapting to the size and space of all types of devices.
How Is a Logo Responsive?
The responsive logo process works by allowing the back-end technology of the website to choose from multiple images, each sized for the specific device of the end user. These files, created by the design agency, simplify parts of the logo as it gets smaller based on certain screen sizes. The back-end technology then selects the logo to fit the space allocated for it. For example, full screen devices like a desktop or laptop computer, will get the full logo, while smaller devices, such as your smartphone, will get the most simplified version.
A responsive logo should be part of the overall strategy of the logo development when rebranding or redesigning your law firm logo. Good examples of how some big companies, including Disney, Coke and Kodak, have adapted their brand identifiers to work responsively can be seen here. These logos have been carefully designed and have taken into consideration how to react to the changing screen size. Simply drag the corner of your browser window to reduce the width and watch how the images adapt. In short, they respond.
Ditch Your One-line Logo
Having a brand style guide that shows the various uses and options for your logo is essential. A well-planned style guide has a section showing how your logo is to be used in certain placements, locations and background colors.
In today’s market, these style guides should now include how the logo responds in the digital world. This should include how the logo can be used on social media sites.
However, problems arise when a logo is not thought out right from the start. For example, a single long horizontal multi-name logo with no stacked option just does not work in all instances, even in the world of print. Add to that the need for a responsive design. If no approach is taken, then a law firm's logo becomes unusable in the digital world by either taking up large real estate space to be readable or being too small and fuzzy to be understood.
Moving Forward
Over the past few years, we have seen many brands tweak their logos to enhance and modernize their brands and mobile presences. Re-evaluating your current logo, even a solid one, is not unheard of. Consider adjusting or altering the font to one that is similar but slightly more simplified and more readable in smaller sizes. (Facebook tweaked their font for readability on mobile.) Streamline any icon or graphic element so that it does not fill in or get fuzzy when shown on a small screen or mobile device (Starbucks and Twitter simplified their icons). You may need to eliminate unnecessary words or text in your graphic to simplify the art.
If your firm has not gone through any branding exercise in the past 10-plus years, consider hiring an experienced branding agency to guide you through a branding exercise. By doing this, you can get a third-party perspective to help make sure your overall firmwide brand is still on track with who you are. This exercise also can help you to identify how your firm is perceived and can point you on your way to reduce the firm name down to one, or at the most, two names, as a shorter name allows for a more streamlined brand identity and logo.
You can also create uniqueness within the letters that form your firm logo or choose colors that help define and tell your firm story. Color and font play an important role in your overall brand package. Google has done a terrific job with a simple font and use of four specific brand colors. Remember, your logo is not the brand, but plays an integral role in your brand development.
Tips for Designing Responsive Logos
With so much burden placed on the logo in today's world, it’s no wonder it struggles to be flexible and responsive. Here are some tips to keep in mind when designing logos in the responsive age.
- Your logo is not your brand.
- A brand is not your logo.
- Your logo is the same as other elements of your identity system; this includes color, taglines, emblems or signature marks.
- Your logo should be a simple and clear memory hook. Nothing more, nothing less.
Once you accept this, your law firm logo can start to respond responsively. Have you tackled a responsive logo for your law firm yet?
