A Purple Patch

A Purple Patch

The Real Problem

Most marketing advisers start with colours, fonts, and punchy tag-lines. For law firms that live and die by referrals, that order is backwards. Barnard already had a solid book of work—but wanted “next-level” growth that would outpace the South African legal market. A new logo alone couldn’t do that; a stronger reputation and business-development engine could.

Our First Principles

  1. Reputation before Repaint – A firm is judged by what its matters say, not by what its masthead looks like.
  2. Vision & Culture drive Design – Only when leadership’s growth plan is clear should the visual identity follow.
  3. Keep the Name, Simplify the Story – “Barnard” is memorable on its own; extra descriptors add bulk, not trust.

What We Did (in order)

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Design Highlights (Once the Groundwork Was Done)

  • Jacaranda Purple Palette – Rooted in Pretoria’s streets; signals creativity, wisdom, and local pride.
  • Modernised Tree Icon – Retained the hand-drawn roots (heritage) and subtle SA-flag geometry (future-facing).
  • Single-Word Logotype: Barnard – Mirrors the firm’s simplified internal structure and big-firm ambition.

Outcomes

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Lessons for Law Firm Leaders

  1. A logo can amplify trust, but it can’t create it. Fix service gaps and messaging clarity first.
  2. Brand projects move faster when BD goals are non-negotiable. The design team isn’t guessing—they’re supporting revenue targets.
  3. “Boring” colours aren’t the enemy; random colours are. Purple worked because it told a Pretoria-proud story the partners could own.
  4. Simplify naming early. Every extra word adds friction - to signage costs and to client recall.
  5. BUT: Don’t go too simple. Simplifying the naming conventions of your firm are important, but the uniquely-SA trend of reducing surnames to acronyms / initialisations doesn’t always have the desired effect.

Final Word

Or, as we like to say around Beach Weather: the logo maketh not the firm - reputation does. Build that foundation, and the visuals fall neatly into place, just as they did for Barnard’s new chapter in Brooklyn.

Ready for calmer seas?

If you’re tired of buzzwords and hungry for marketing that actually brings in work, let’s talk.

Get in Contact
ComponentWhat We Did
Instant HookLaunched the session with the rally cry “Get LinkedIn Shape! Pump Up Your Profile Like It’s 1985!”
Mindset ShiftReframed the network as “the 80s Rolodex on steroids, where every business card is neon, oversized and spinning.”
Profile OverhaulWalk-through of headline writing (“movie-tagline snappy”), power-ballad-style ‘About’ sections, and MTV- worthy profile photos.
Content PlaybookIntroduced five signature post formats – Mic-Drop, Virtual High-5, Comment Craze, Throwback Knowledge Thursdays, and visual “Picture-Day Flashbacks.”
AI Co-Pilot DemoLive demo: using ChatGPT as an “80s sidekick” for brainstorming, polishing, and simplifying legal jargon – plus guard-rails for tone, plagiarism, and fact-checking.
Gamified Follow-Up30-day challenge: post at least one Mic-Drop and one Virtual High-5 each week; leaderboard tracked views and meaningful comments.
MetricBaseline30 Days Later
Lawyer profiles rated “All-Star” by LinkedIn8%28%
Average weekly posts by participants0.42.3
Meaningful comments (≥ 20 words) on others’ posts217
Direct LinkedIn enquiries traceable to posts04 (one converted into an instruction)
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(Data drawn from LinkedIn analytics dashboards shared by the participants;
conversion verified through CRM notes.)

PhaseKey MovesWhy It Came Before Design
Reputation DiagnosticsRan the ‘Radar’ audit, client- feedback loops, and press scans.To find strengths worth amplifying and blind spots worth fixing.
Business Development AlignmentWorkshop with practice heads: Who are our best referrers? Where do we earn top margins?Brand visuals must reinforce the firm’s chosen growth lanes, not distract.
Culture & Vision MappingOne-on-one interviews with leaders; “next-level” memo drafted (the letter above).A logo can’t carry values it doesn’t genuinely reflect.
Visual Identity SprintOnly after the firm’s purpose was codified did we explore colour, symbol, and word-mark.Ensured every design choice had a strategic “why.”
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*Radar = our six-factor reputation dashboard.

MetricBefore12 Months After Launch
Referral-originated mattersBaseline+ 28%
Average BD cycle length9 months6 months
Press mentions (tier-1 legal/financial)411
Internal cross-sell rateScatteredFormalised playbook + quarterly target hit
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ElementApproachOutcome
Gamified Team SportPractice groups became “national teams”; article types were “events” (micro-posts = sprints, long-form pieces = marathons).41 content “entries” in eight weeks; six long-form pieces picked up by external trade press.
Visible Medal TableWeekly scoreboard in reception and Teams chat drove friendly peer pressure.Firm LinkedIn followers +35%; domain-rank keywords +19%.
Lightweight EnablementHeadline swipe-file, topic prompts, and a same-day “content coach” channel.One Family-Law post triggered a radio interview that converted into two client instructions.
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Lesson → Competition sparks output, but lawyers also need rapid editorial
support.

Improvement Lever (vs Olympics)What ChangedMeasured Result
Secret-Agent StorytellingEach file contained a single, tightly scoped brief plus a 10-day countdown.62 article drafts in five weeks; 46 already live on the website.
Undercover Bonus MissionsSurprise tasks (e.g., record a 60-sec explainer video) boosted spontaneity.14 earned-media hits (podcasts, newsletters, press).
Leaderboard GeesPoints for teamwork, extra collaboration, and “Vault” creativity deposits.Firm’s syndicated-content tally on Mondaq crossed the 100- article mark; organic site traffic +22 %.
Real RewardsDinner + movie-premiere tickets for the top squad.Sustained participation beyond the campaign window; lawyers requested the next challenge.
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Lesson → Tight briefs, ticking clocks, and surprise “side quests” keep momentum high while content quality climbs.

StepWhat We DidWhy It Mattered
Risk AuditMapped potential media angles; checked the Opponent’s agency links; benchmarked previous “David-vs-Goliath” food-industry spats.Forecasted where stories could break and who might run them.
Message Lock-InAgreed on a single, values-driven message: “Protecting homemade quality for South African families.” All legal filings echoed that line.Courts decide law; public opinion decides reputation. Consistency wins both.
Timed Touch PointsDrafted press releases, holding statements, and social posts in advance, each tied to litigation milestones.Prevented reactive, heat- of-the-moment comments.
Media Readinessave the Client rapid-fire interview coaching and built a “direct line” protocol - journalists sent queries to us, not her inbox.Removed opportunities for off-the-record misquotes.
Quiet SignalsShared the prepared but unreleased press pack with the Opponent’s counsel during discovery.Demonstrated we were ready to defend publicly, nudging them toward settlement.
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