Mr. Upside x V&A Advocaten
V&A Advocaten advises on Dutch insurance and liability law. When the Rotterdam law firm started, a new brand identity was needed. They approached Mr. Upside for the design.
Client(s)
Services delivered
Brand Identity Design
Art Direction
Communications Consultancy
At quite an early stage, Partner from the very beginning of the office, Maurice Esseling approached me for the Brand Identity Design of of the new law firm to be started. We know each other well from back in the day when we did a skydiving course together.
When he approached me he had good news. He had quit his job at the law firm where he worked. And had advanced plans to start his own office, V&A Advocaten, together with a number of other lawyers. And of course the fresh office needed a fresh Brand Identity. And collateral. And a web site.
Freedom, respect and trust
Those keywords sum up the project nicely. A lot of freedom, respect and a lot of trust from the customer. And above all the possibility to develop the Brand Identity Design properly. On the customer side, things were already excellently prepared.
Many people, many opinions
Maurice naturally took on the role of contact person for the design of the logo and corporate identity. Nevertheless, I worked closely with the large group of lawyers involved. Many people involved usually also generate many different opinions. But with Maurice taking the lead internally this was managed in a excellent manner.
“A calm, thoughtful and well-balanced Brand Identity is what we wanted. And Mr. Upside delivered. The project went smooth and swift.”
Maurice Esseling - Partner V&A Advocaten
Project approach
Research & discovery
After various meetings and conversations about the needs and vision of V&A Advocaten regarding their new brand, a creative brief was made. For Mr. Upside, the legal world was still relatively unknown. That is why extensive research was done on the market and the communication methods of (leading) law firms in the Netherlands.
Creative strategy
Abstract services
Insurance and liability law is, for someone who has little to do with it, a fairly abstract subject. A highly technical and literal translation of the service was therefore quickly not regarded as an appropriate creative route.
Focus on typography
The name and descriptor contain relatively long words. As a result, the focus of the creative strategy shifted to typography as a means of giving the brand a unique appearance.
Insight: 'Focus on a typographic image'.
Art Direction and design
Calm, thoughtful and balanced visual identity
With those key words in mind, a reliable, somewhat conservative and classical letter form was chosen for the typography. The classic look&feel of the serif fonts radiates authority. The serifs ensure that the letters are solid, 'with both feet on the ground'. The weight of the letters was kept to a minimum. This keeps the logo away from the static, logo appearance of a bank vault. After all, it is a young company. With young people.
Compact
The symbol 'V&A' was placed above 'advocaten'. This kept the total space occupied more compact, and makes future use of the logo in other media easier.
Business, limited color palette
The serious business undertone was found through blue in the color palette. The orange counterbalances. And it gave the brand identity a younger look, more adapt with the young culture in the new company.
White space
Much attention has been paid to white space in the house style. The result is a calm, thoughtful and balanced visual identity.
Execution and further development
Translation to various brand expressions
The Brand Identity Design was further designed and translated into brand expressions such as letterhead, envelopes, business cards and a suitable website. The website design was supplied to a Rotterdam web agency for the technical construction.
Related projects
NIBC Bank Capital Markets Day event Brand Identity Design
NIBC had a Capital Markets Day organised at The Curtain Hotel in London. However, it still missed a logo and invitation. Mr. Upside was asked to design the corporate identity and visual communication for the event.
Multizorg VRZ Health Insurance Brand Identity Design
Multizorg VRZ manages healthcare procurement and contracting for various Dutch health insurers in a professional manner. It provides national healthcare procurement and contracting for health insurers a.s.r…
NWO / Dutch Research Council Synergy Event Brand Identity Design
NWO event Synergy is an annual event. Freelance Event Manager Kim van den Wijngaard of Kimspiratie regularly works for NWO (the Dutch Research Council). She approached Mr. Upside to create designs for the event.
