The Psychology of Color in Law Firm Visual Branding

You don’t need to study color psychology to know that color evokes feelings. Just think about the language we use every day. When we’re sad, we “feel blue.” When we’re angry, we’re “seeing red.” You might describe someone as “green with envy,” “a yellow-bellied coward,” or feeling “in the pink.”

And, of course, all you have to do is drive down the street to see that color is important to marketing and establishing the visual brand of a business. There’s a reason so many fast food logos are red (but shout out to Taco Bell for that bold purple-pink-yellow combo). The fact is, certain colors not only make us feel certain things, they motivate us to make certain choices—often without realizing that we’ve been influenced by anything at all.

How Does Color Influence Our Purchasing Decisions?

A 2006 research study at the University of Winnipeg, the Impact of Color on Marketing, discovered that people make up their minds within 90 seconds of encountering a person or product. If that seems hasty, hold onto your hats. The study also found that between 62% and 90% of that decision is based on color.

In other words, it may not matter how good a product (or a legal service) is; if a prospective buyer doesn’t make up their mind to investigate further within the first 90 seconds, all that brilliance will go unseen. 

Colors are an essential component of your visual branding—arguably the most important component. Quick: what’s the most important thing you want prospective clients to know about you? That you’re rock-steady and reliable? An aggressive fighter for their rights? A creative and innovative problem-solver? With the right color choices, you can convey those impressions before visitors to your site read so much as a single word of copy.

But before you can make color choices that are consistent with your brand, it’s important to have a firm idea of what your brand is. That’s why early in The Modern Firm’s website process, we spend time talking with you about your values, your story, and your brand. Once we have an idea of what you want your website to convey, our design team can help you develop a visual branding strategy and bring your story to life—vividly.

Let’s take a moment to ponder visual identity vs. brand identity. The concepts are related, but not the same. Think about it this way: brand identity is who you are—what matters to you (or your firm) deep down. Visual identity is how you convey your brand identity to the eye. If brand identity is how you see yourself as an individual, visual identity might be how you express that vision through clothing choices.

What Are the Best Color Palettes for Law Firm Websites?

This is a trick question. The best website color schemes depend on the message your law firm is trying to convey. If your firm’s core values are innovation and creativity, you probably want to choose different colors for your website than a firm that is trying to evoke a feeling of endurance and steadiness.

In general, law firms tend to skew conservative in their color choices. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this. After all, the business of law is about rules. The Modern Firm’s Creative Director, Diego Aguirre observes that “Traditionally, blue is THE color for law firm websites. Blues and grays convey stability and reliability, and are associated with immutability.” There’s a reason that nearly half of law firm websites feature blue prominently. 

Red is another popular color for law firm websites, though not just any shade of red. Different shades of red convey different impressions: darker reds like maroon and burgundy suggest power and leadership, and are more commonly used by law firms. Brighter reds can suggest passion and boldness—but also conflict and danger. There’s a reason stop signs are red! 

And in fact, using the color red in the wrong place or the wrong way on your website can act like a literal stop sign to visitors. When different colors were tested for website call-to-action buttons, red buttons actually reduced conversions a significant majority of the time, and by up to 13% compared to other colors. So the red buttons were attention-grabbing (good), but also made test subjects stop, rather than clicking the button. 

Of course, there are some law firms that want to convey boldness and aggression, often criminal defense or personal injury litigation firms. Even then, Diego Aguirre notes, the red should be used judiciously; too much can be an assault on the eyes.

While red and blue may be some of the most popular choices, they're far from the only options. Yellow can suggest warmth and positivity. Purple, orange and green are often associated with creativity. Even pink has started cropping up on law firm websites for firms that want to be a bit more edgy. If you want to use one of these colors to make your law firm logo and website stand out from others, what’s the best way to go about it?

Being Intentional About Color Choice in Your Visual Branding Strategy

According to Diego, one mistake many lawyers make in their visual branding is wanting to make their entire law firm logo one color. “You always want to have a mix of colors. The color with the most presence in your color palette sets the pace. It’s a matter of quantity.” The same balancing goes for the website itself.

In The Modern Firm’s design process, the team breaks down the use of color into three categories. The primary and secondary colors are more muted, often used in the background; they’re more structural. Accent colors are brighter and draw the eye, and are often used for clickable or interactive elements, like call-to-action buttons.

This combination allows for the best of both worlds: the use of color in a dramatic, but not overwhelming way. Yellow is a color of energy; when used sparingly and paired with black, the effect is both powerful and elegant. An accent color of fuchsia against darker blues and white trumpets both steadiness and creativity. And it doesn’t take a lot of color to make an impact. Sparks of copper convey  creativity and confidence against a stark white background. The options are almost endless; TMF’s design team can help you narrow down your color choices based on your goals and your brand identity.

More Than Just Another Pretty Shade

We’ve already talked about how your color choices make your website appeal to readers’ emotions and quickly convey a lot of information about your law firm’s brand. As if that weren’t enough, color also plays an important role in your law firm website’s accessibility for users with disabilities. Sufficient color contrast makes website use easier for visitors with visual impairment, and helps ensure that your website is ADA-compliant. 

When it comes to choosing color palettes for websites, there’s a lot of opportunity, but also the potential for analysis paralysis, because there are so many choices. TMF’s branding process can help you clarify what you want your website to say; our design professionals can help you make the right color choices to say it.

To learn more about the best website color schemes, or implementing a visual branding strategy, contact the Modern Firm to schedule a consultation.