Need great logo for law office

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This customer received 85 logo designs from 25 designers. They chose this logo design from smudger as the winning design.
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Logo Design Brief
The Knauerhase Law Office's areas of practice include primarily estate planning (wills and trusts, tax avoidance and retirement planning, etc.) and elder law (conservatorships/guardianships for elderly people, government benefits, end-of-life medical decisions, etc.).
Customers and target market include elderly people (creating plans or refreshing existing documents in response to life events), young couples with new children, and middle-aged people planning either for themselves or in the process of caring for elderly parents.
We would like to have a logo for the business that can be used as part of a "brand identity", something more distinct than simply writing "Knauerhase Law Office" in a serious-looking font. Uses will be website, mailing labels, embossing on folders, possibly letterhead, that sort of thing.
Updates
Project Deadline Extended
Reason: Our fault! We had an out-of-town trip that prevented us from getting prompt feedback to some of the better submissions. We're extending just a little to make sure people have time to respond to feedback if they want to. Thanks!
Added Saturday, January 22, 2011
Project Deadline Extended
Reason:
Added Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Target Market(s)
Adults, mostly middle-age to older, who are interested in legal matters of estate planning and elder law - wills, trusts, guardianship/conservatorships, tax planning, retirement planning, and maximizing transfer of wealth to their children or charities upon their death.
Industry/Entity Type
Government
Logo Text
Knauerhase Law Office
Logo styles of interest
Emblem Logo
Logo enclosed in a shape



Pictorial/Combination Logo
A real-world object (optional text)



Look and feel
Each slider illustrates characteristics of the customer's brand and the style your logo design should communicate.
Elegant
Bold
Playful
Serious
Traditional
Modern
Personable
Professional
Feminine
Masculine
Colorful
Conservative
Economical
Upmarket
Requirements
Must have
- Logo should be professional, serious, and strong without being "stuffy" or stodgy. Words should be clearly legible, especially for older eyes. We'd very much like to include the crest (see attached file) but it doesn't have to be an exact reproduction. Color is preferred, but logo must look good when printed in black-and-white as well.
Nice to have
- Inasmuch as possible, we'd like the logo to convey "approachability"; that is, not be so formal as to be intimidating or off-putting. Subtle graphics and/or graphical placement of words can be considered.
Should not have
- Logo should not be flowery or overly ornamental (EDIT: this doesn't mean only not to use flowers - but not to use flowery/frilly themes). Please do not incorporate scales of justice, any variants on the statue of blindfolded Lady Justice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Justice), or gavels in the design.