A BRAND BUILT TO CHANGE THE CURRENT
The world of law isn’t known for brave brands. Instead, it’s a sea of sameness, where fitting in comes first and boat-rocking is rare. But with everyone else following the pack, A&O Shearman needed to sail into the distance with a new direction. It needed to ‘change the current’.
        Those three simple words sum up everything A&O Shearman is – and that its brand should be too. Thinking bigger. Acting bolder. Moving beyond the world of white wigs and stuffy sterility. Not doing things differently just for the sake of it. But purposefully going against the grain to show everyone the unmatched opportunities of a better way forward. ​

LESS IS MORE
To change the current, you need to know what makes everyone else blur together. So to give A&O Shearman a distinctive look, feel and voice in a category that’s notoriously full of clutter, we focused on doing more with less. Stripping things back and making space for A&O Shearman’s purpose, passion and people to take centre stage.
        That white space became the foundation of the brand, and the symbol of a new way of doing things. A canvas where the current-changing and sector-defining can come to life as A&O Shearman transforms itself into a new type of law firm. One that nobody has seen before.

CHARTING A NEW COURSE
With that blank slate as the starting point, the rest of A&O Shearman’s brand was purpose-built to challenge the perceptions and expectations of what a modern law firm looks, sounds and feels like.
        Where the traditionalists compete for boring blues and repetitive reds – A&O Shearman grows in vibrant green. While others drown in the same old stock images – A&O Shearman soars with expressive photography that works side-by-side with punchy headlines. And where others use 50 pages of legalese to make a point – A&O Shearman uses five bold words that give people something to think about. Writing them in a custom typeface that brings the fluidity of the firm’s new logo to every touchpoint, everywhere.
        All elements that take law in a new direction. All given the room they need to stand out and stand proud.​
        That’s changing the current – in action. Seeing where everyone else is going, asking why, and then finding a better route that goes further, faster.​

“Without a doubt one of the best agency displays I’ve been involved with. The whole team at Landor were exceptional and what a beautiful piece of work they have created for us” – Maura Whiteley,
A&O Shearman Brand Specialist.​

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