Harte-Bavendamm: Inspired Solutions
Straight from Hamburg's Hafen-City: a brand gets the look it deserves. Here you can find out why it's good when a partner of the law firm is "horrified" in between and how to translate "hanseatic" into a visual identity.
Famous Neighbour
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 harbour, but also the best view of the impressive landmark.
The firm's employees also feel noticeably close to their prominent neighbour – and not just in terms of space. The Elbphilharmonie symbolises Harte-Bavendamm's recipe for success.
JANNA THOMSEN, PARTNER
"It was such a pleasure and so much fun to work with your amazing team! Especially the deep dive in 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."
Firm Foundations, Inspired Solutions
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 firm's new appearance remains very close to it.
In line with the slogan "Firm Foundations, Inspired Solutions", a branding has been created that plays with contrasts. This 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 it for creative solutions.
"...I would have thought you were crazy."
An example of the contrasts: The typography. A modern grotesque font is unconventionally mixed with a serif font. A stylistic device not yet familiar 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: "But now that I see it, I really like it!"
From Brand Essence to Implementation
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 describes herself as "hanseatic", it is not immediately clear to us "strangers" what exactly is meant by this. That's why we work intensively on our shared understanding of this identity. This creates a seamless and logical derivation of branding.
Windy City
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.
A Moment of Horror
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.
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. From a meeting about color options:
"I'm horrified."
Fortunately, there is never just one graphic solution. So this horror quickly disappeared again.
