Seven Tips From A Trademark Lawyer Who Just Rebranded Her Own Business

As a trademark lawyer who has been both in-house and outside counsel, I have helped clients through hundreds of branding and rebranding projects. When I decided to mark the 10-year anniversary of my law firm with a rebrand, I applied the lessons learned from working with my clients, and also gained a unique appreciation of the work and care that goes into adopting a new brand.

Whether you are changing your firm’s name (trademark), updating your visual identity (logo), or creating a firm tagline (slogan), here are seven takeaways for business owners contemplating a rebrand.

1.  Have Clear Goals

It may go without saying, but before you start a rebranding project, make sure you know why you are rebranding. Think about what you hope to accomplish with a change. In my case, my firm had grown from a solo practice to a multi-member team, and our name (Law Office of Stacy J. Grossman) did not reflect that. My firm’s new name, SGIP, builds on my previous name by keeping my initials SG. Adding what we do – IP law – is a helpful descriptor for our firm. I tried to maintain continuity by carrying forward the color palette of our original logo to our new branding.

2.  Conduct Competitive Research

A small business might not have the budget to do in-depth market research, but it’s easy and worthwhile to make a list of your top 10 competitors and study their names, logos and taglines. Consider what you like and don’t like about them. And give thought to how you can craft your branding to differentiate yourself and stand out from your competitors – in a positive way.

3.  Consider Your Visual Message

When creating a new brand and logo, small decisions have a big impact. What does the font say about your firm?  Do you want to create a classic or modern impression? Should the font and logo be simple or stylized?  Will the font remind people of other brands?  Will that halo effect be good or bad?  Ask yourself the same questions about the colors you choose. Also, consider how your new logo will look on all of your collateral materials.

4.  The Devil Is In The Details

Your new name and logo will appear on letterhead, envelopes, mailing labels, your website, collateral materials and promotional items. Will it look consistent whether large or small, and in color or black and white? Remember that social media sites have different size specifications for avatars and “profile” pictures. Try resizing your logo for LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media platforms you use. How does your logo look as a favicon? Can your logo use this very tiny space effectively? Decide if you want to add your logo to your email signature. Some email programs strip images out of emails and add them as attachments defeating the design.

5.  Make Sure Your New Trademarks Are Clear

Keep in mind that when you are adopting a new brand and logo, you need to be sure that you don’t choose marks that might infringe another party’s rights. You might consider conducting clearance work, and even filing an application to register your new name a trademark with the United States Trademark Office. If you’re not experienced, you should consider engaging a trademark lawyer to conduct a thorough search for your new brand name and/or any tagline you plan to adopt.

6.  Make The Most Of Your New Brand With A Communications Plan

After all of the hard to adopt and implement a new name, don’t forget the last step: communicating your new brand identity to your clients, referral sources, business associates, friends and the media. It’s important to make the story bigger than simply the fact of the rebrand — use the rebrand as a springboard to thank clients for their business, reconnect with people in your wider network, and tell the media about trends in your business area.

7.  Remember That It Takes a Village

You’re surely great at what you do, but you’re probably not an experienced graphic designer, IT expert, web designer or marketing expert. As discussed above, rebranding requires a new logo, new stationery and business cards, a new URL and updated email addresses for yourself and your team, updates to your website, messaging and more.  If budget allows, invest in a graphic designer to help you create a logo that you will be proud to use for years to come, a web developer to refresh your website, an IT consultant to test and troubleshoot technical issues, and a marketing consultant to help you make the most of your new identity.

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Your brand is more than your firm name and logo – it is the unique set of qualities that cause clients to choose you over all the other businesses who do what you do. My experience as a trademark lawyer meant that I had some insight into how to rebrand my law firm, but any business owner can do this by being thoughtful and strategic. Rebranding is a big effort, but well worth the investment of time and resources to ensure that your business is a positive reflection of you and the products or services you provide.