Neue bring colour and character to the law industry in their industry for Norwegian firm Haavind

In a conservative and commercially-driven market, law firms in Norway compete to attract the best talents and the best clients. With a field founded on trust and competence, it is essential for firms to also align with society’s expectations on topics such as sustainability and inclusion. Full-service firm Haavind strive to lead in this category, while focusing on key sectors such as technology and renewable energy.

In order to communicate this best to their clients and audience, they partnered with Oslo-based studio Neue to develop a flexible brand identity system. The resulting solution not only spotlights the power of collaboration, but also aims to stand out against competitors with a tailored colour palette and a characterful set of illustrative and moving assets.

Within the visual language, the open and approachable personality of the firm is best expressed through the ‘H’ logomark, which tells the story of Haavind’s culture and values. “One pillar represents the people of Haavind and the other their competence,” Design Lead Erlend Kannert Istad and Designer Julian Schlicht explain. “Together they create a space where collaboration is formed and brings value to Haavind and its clients.” Both the symbol and the wider identity were designed with flexibility in mind. “It can scale, extend and grow in accordance to Haavind’s challenges and their needs for communication,” the pair continue. “The concept is collaboration and by telling that story with the logo, we enabled for a simplification of the entire identity that serves the brand well.” 

With a need to communicate to a wide audience across a variety of channels, it was important that this was reflected in their written copy and typeface selection. The Norwegian studio opted for the solid Swiss sans serif – Diatype from Dinamo – as the primary typeface; pairing it with the rounder serif STK Bureau. “We also liked the idea of using a typeface from a renowned swiss type foundry such as Dinamo together with a typeface from the young and talented Norwegian type designers at Smuss Studio,” they reveal, “as it is a reflection of Haavind’s range of clients and speaks to their heritage and ambition.”

In this field, despite the need to communicate complex issues across many channels, illustrations are rarely utilised. “Therefore,” Istad and Schlicht explain, “by adding illustrations to Haavind’s visual identity toolkit, we sought to not only set them apart, but give them a competitive advantage by enhancing their means of communication.” With plenty of experience working with big corporations such as The New York Times and Bloomberg, London-based illustrator Dominic Kesterton was chosen to translate these complex issues with his “simple, yet personality-rich” style, communicating them with ease.

Neue

Haavind