Oppenhoff
Reshaping the identity as
trusted advisor
Hauser Lacour, 2010 – 2020
Stefan Hauser, Managing Partner
Georg Bertsch, Strategy
Timo Erdmann, Brand Consultant
Julia Marquordt, Project Manager
Felix Kopp, Creative Director
Roxana Raschidi, Art Director
As Art Director I have worked with the Creative Director in a tandem team and developed different approaches on how to redesign the brand based on the strategic concept. In the further design work I was in charge to shape, define, finalize and document the visual brand assets, like logo, colour, typography and layout frameworks. Furthermore I consulted the client in print media production topics, image language and Powerpoint presentation templates.
The independent German law firm Oppenhoff has a long tradition, whose origins reach back to the beginning of the 20th century. With around 80 lawyers at its three offices in Cologne, Frankfurt and Hamburg, as well as international cooperations, the full-service law firm with leading commercial law expertise stands for excellence, team spirit and partnership-based advice in an increasingly complex and digital world.
The focus of the redesign was to confidently present the company's self-image as "Trusted Advisors" with heads strong in character and to express the company's quality standards and love of detail.
All visual assets shown here represent an intermediate state from the design phase of the rebranding process.
The wordmark Oppenhoff & Partner, which had taken up space before the redesign, was shortened and now appears self-confident and striking, set in a bold serif typeface.
Branding elements
The luminous cyan, formerly the primary brand colour, was continued, but reduced in use in favour of meaning and supplemented by a colour canon consisting of dark, high-quality blue tones and a range of subtle, warm grey colours. The bold serif typeface, which is characterized by precise details is complemented by a friendly, elegant and modern sans typeface.
Consistent stationary and selected materials
Oppenhoff is characterised by passion, quality and an eye for detail. These characteristics are visible and tangible in the carefully selected materials of the brand’s new comprehensive stationary.
Simple design principles and a flexible layout framework
The core design assets and simple design rules are documented in a styleguide. The approach was to develop a simple layout framework enabling marketing to communicate consistently and recognizable across a wide range of media – analog and digital.
Distinct margins, white space, a specific and striking use of the corporate fonts and the principle of the logo standing self-confident and centered – like a scale – usually on top of each media creates a coherent and memorable brand impression.
Dots as subtle keyvisual
An even grid of dots, derived from the logo's distinctive ff-ligature, is used as a recurring keyvisual element and functions as subtle and elegant branding without the need for additional image material.
Imagery and Illustrations
Simple, clear motifs stand for sectors and legal fields of the law firm. A modular set of illustrations enables abstract topics for specific editorial formats to be communicated in an identity-conscious and likeable way.
