Law firms produce a tremendous amount of marketing and branded collateral. There is printed collateral, such as letterhead, business cards and event invites. There is digital collateral, such the firm website, digital client alerts and PowerPoint slide decks. There are branded elements that some legal marketers might not even consider initially, such as computer screen savers, voicemail messages and external signage. Consistency among all of these elements enhances the image of the firm.

How is a legal marketer — especially one charged with coordinating efforts across multiple offices — supposed to maintain consistency among all of a firm’s marketing and branded assets?

The solution is a law firm style guide. Style guides define set specifications for the design and content of a law firm’s collateral. They often provide overarching guidelines to direct the use of firm IP, such as its logo, while issuing unique style parameters for each of the many types of collateral a law firm might produce. 

Here are examples of some of the specifications a law firm style guide might develop.

  • Logo: Do you have multiple versions of your logo? Which version do you use for which purpose? Your style guide should have clear rules specifying the various uses for your logo and how it should be displayed in each case.
     
  • Color palette: The style guide should specify the specific color choices for various branded content, including your firm’s logo. The color selection for print and digital are likely to require separate specifications.
     
  • Use of serial commas: Sentence syntax has to be consistent across all firm content. One area that often causes confusion is the use of the serial comma — the comma that falls between the second-to-last item in a list and the conjunction (e.g., “and”). Your style guide should detail whether your firm implements the serial comma or not.

How Can Jaffe Help with Law Firm Style Guides?
 

Jaffe assists legal marketers with developing and refining law firm style guides. For firms that lack a style guide, our experienced design, content and digital specialists can work with you to translate your firm’s visual appearance into a written document that will create consistency throughout firm collateral. For firms that are in the process of a rebranding or style refresh, Jaffe can assist with updating your law firm’s style guide to meet your new standards. We also can assist with auditing your collateral to ensure it meets your style guide specifications. 

Want more information about law firm style guides? Contact Alan E. Singles at asingles@jaffepr.com.