Global law firm introduces new visual identity based on bird murmurations

Global legal practice Simmons & Simmons worked with creative agency SomeOne to create a new visual and verbal operating system based on bird murmurations to symbolises the company’s collaborative approach to tackling complex legal matters.

The legal practice, which sought to unite the partnership around a single view to provide smarter solutions to clients worldwide, lamented that partnerships have over time become more like a series of fiefdoms than a connected group of individuals.

 To exemplify Simmon’s focus on intelligent collaboration SomeOne turned to the patterns, shapes and movements made by shoals, swarms and murmurations. The latter, inspired by birds’ ability to self-organise to achieve perfect levels of coordination, were custom made with computer graphics to allow total control over the way they move and how closely they work together, mirroring the teamwork at Simmons.

“This is an exciting change to our brand and reflects what has been happening behind the scenes for a long time. It’s about consistently working smarter and providing the best possible service to our clients. It’s also about embracing change, technology and innovation. I think the new visual identity will act as a constant reminder to us all of those priorities,” says managing partner at Simmons & Simmons, Jeremy Hoyland.

 The ‘§’ logo is a unique character used in legal documents made up of two letters ‘S’ and reflects the company’s collaborative mindset, recalling Simmons & Simmons intertwined in partnership. As part of the new visual identity the typography, in addition to the colour palette, was also changed to a contemporary and highly legible word mark built for the digital age, which adapts to any type of internet application from mobile to laptop.

 “The way legal services are supplied, sold and sought is changing rapidly  – we’ve created a brand that can move ahead of change at speed, significance and scale. I hope this new work will herald a new enthusiasm for distinctive, driven and determined design sector-wide,” says Simon Manchipp, founder of SomeOne.