The offices of the Hamburg IP boutique Harte-Bavendamm are located right next to the Elbphilharmonie concert hall. Anyone working here (or visiting for marketing workshops) not only enjoys an exceptional view of the harbor, but also the best view of the impressive landmark.
We are very honored that the new appearance of the law firm now originates from the same city that is home to the architects of the Elbphilharmonie.
The firm's employees also feel noticeably close to their prominent neighbour – and not just in terms of space. With the stable Kaispeicher warehouse serving as its foundation and the sweeping structure, the Elbphilharmonie also symbolises Harte-Bavendamm's recipe for success.
Enthusiasm was limited when we pointed out that the key visual of the Elbphilharmonie used on the old website was not suitable for the new branding. Even if the "Elphi" is no longer the focus, the new appearance of Harte-Bavendamm remains very close to it.
The new branding is the result of a well-founded process to identify the identity and sharpen the brand.
In line with the slogan "Firm Foundations, Inspired Solutions", a branding has been created that plays with contrasts. The combination of clear rules and creative elements not only fits the architecture of this musical palace. It also characterises the work of excellent lawyers who master the framework provided by the law and use or further develop it for creative solutions.
An example of the contrasts: The typography. A modern grotesque font mixes unconventionally with a serif font. A common method in the world of graphics that is not yet so widely used in the legal world. From a presentation to the client:
"If you had told me that we should mix two fonts in the same paragraph, I would probably have thought you were crazy."
Fortunately, we backed up this suggestion visually...: "But now that I see it, I really like it!"
Most people in Hamburg actually prefer to be indoors in October / November. Photographers also try to avoid excursions during these months and concentrate on studio pictures. We are incredibly happy that both the Harte-Bavendamm team and the fantastic Markus Abele supported our ideas with such great enthusiasm and ventured outside despite the windy weather.
The result is tremendous. The imagery speaks volumes and rightly plays an important role in Harte-Bavendamm's new branding.
Photo credit for the imagery and portraits on the Harte-Bavendamm website: Markus Abele, Eimsbütteler Chaussee 23, 20259 Hamburg
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Working on a company's corporate identity is a sensitive task. It requires us as an agency to really understand the essence of a brand.
For example, if the customer describe themselves as "Hanseatic", it is not immediately or completely clear to us "strangers" what exactly is meant by this. That's why we work intensively on our shared understanding of this identity through dialog, examples and texts.
This creates a seamless and logical derivation of branding. This is the only way to achieve the right translation into visual elements and texts.
The most delicate point in a (re)branding project is reached when the first drafts of the new visual identity are discussed. This is where the whole thing becomes concrete for the first time.
This can be a brutal moment for customers.
They feel that they have to make a decision. Up to this point, everyone had their own ideas, visions and dreams of what the brand identity could look like.
One of our tasks in this phase is to present bold and sometimes provocative proposals in order to drive the project forward. Of course, not everything is always well received. And so it was here in a meeting about color options:
"I'm horrified."
Even if we are of course pleased when we hit the mark quickly, such clear announcements and reactions are great. They bring us closer and move the project forward. Fortunately, there is never just one graphic solution. So this horror quickly disappeared again.
"It was such a pleasure and so much fun to work with you, Tobias Steinemann, and your amazing team! Especially the deep dive into the beginning assessing our firm's values was truly inspiring. How you transformed our answers into our cool new design just amazes me! Thank you for the great work."
- Janna Thomsen, Partner at Harte-Bavendamm
HeadStarterz - We are at home in Basel and look forward to your visit in our well located office directly at the Rhine in the heart of the city in the tri-state area!
