Bringing a beloved legacy brand into a new generation.

The Challenge

How do you modernize, yet stay true to, a brand that has been built on 110 years of proven outcomes and trust?

The Approach

We brought structure and clarity to the existing brand, while preserving the parts that were recognizable and had established ESC in the market.

A proven legacy. A powerful future.

As one of Florida’s oldest law firms, Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon has built a 110-year legacy of consistently favorable outcomes and a seemingly endless depth of knowledge shored up by experience and vast capabilities. Throughout the decades, the brand has continuously developed alongside the community.

In 2023, a new effort emerged to invigorate the the brand from top to bottom, including updated positioning, messaging platform, and visual system. The goal was to tell the story of the firm and position it as the proven leader and trusted advocate for its clients.

Discovery

Brand Positioning

Messaging System

Visual System

Marketing Collateral

Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon is a full-service firm, boasting several board-certified attorneys spanning nearly every practice area. With that in mind, the challenge was to create an umbrella brand that all practice areas could live within. From there, we could further drill down into each area to create targeted messaging on how they stand apart and support their clients.

During the pre-workshop phase, we met with attorneys from every specialization, as well as legacy and new clients. Common themes arose during these conversations, illustrating how this firm truly has created an environment built on trust, peace of mind, and accessibility.

Through conversations, we found that there were five consistent, distinct positions that they owned:

1. Accessibility to council. The attorneys are responsive and available for clients when needed.
2. Collaboration across practice areas to provide the best outcomes for clients. In many cases, this collaboration continues alongside clients to act as an extension of their professional team.
3. Full-service capabilities, bringing an expansive pool of collective knowledge between councils. The representation of an attorney with access to this robust team is unmatched.
4. Community service. Each attorney is involved in local nonprofits, boards, or community-building initiatives.
5. The power of legacy, paired with supporting and uplifting the next generation of young attorneys makes for a firm that is both proven and progressive.

A rare blend of broad capabilities, focused expertise, proven results, and accessibility truly sets them apart.

Their mission was updated from “Protecting legal interests since 1913” to look into the future as well…”Protecting legal interests since 1913, for this generation, and into the next.”

Beyond this, we updated their tagline, vision, values, pledge to clients and community, and developed their proclamation:

“We are attorneys who are highly experienced in our specialties, united to provide a diversity of perspectives and knowledge. Our team is built on a legacy of best-in-class representation across an abundance of practice areas. A culture of collaboration allows us to provide the best possible outcome for each client. We operate on the unshakeable principle that we are stronger together than any of us could ever be alone.

We are an active part of the community, getting to know our neighbors so we can support, advise, and listen. To bring forward our insights and experience, paired with their unique set of needs, moving consistently towards resolution. We are in this for the long haul, growing and evolving along with those we serve.

We are leading the vanguard toward developing and supporting the next generation of eager legal minds. We are a loyal, lasting extension of your team, working for the future with fresh ideas and pride.

We are Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon, a full-service law firm founded in 1913 on a desire to serve our clients and our community. Past, present, and future, we are in the business of people helping people.“

The ESC brand needed both versatile umbrella and targeted messaging to cover its key areas of practice. Personal injury, business and commercial clients all needed to be represented. Furthermore, a growing need for messaging to support current and future employees was of equal importance.

Some key headlines to their general audiences–to be used across broad advertising and collateral–are:

- A proven legacy. A powerful future. Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon.
- Empowering and advocating for our community, today and tomorrow.
- Where deep expertise meets full-service capabilities. Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon.

After developing these broader headlines, we deepened our exploration and crafted niched headlines, positioning statements, and scripts for each of their brand pillars. These would later be used in commercial spots that were created alongside the brand. One of these areas was their personal injury practice.

A few key headlines that were developed:

- When one moment of disruption today means an uncertain tomorrow, you need the best legal representation.
- Acting in your best interests to ensure your future is protected.
- We listen to ensure your voice is heard.

PI’s overarching positioning:

Every story, situation, and case is unique. When one moment of disruption today means an uncertain tomorrow, you need the best legal representation available.

We combine our unmatched experience, fresh perspectives, and collaborative approach to deliver proven, superior results.

Our advice is accessible, allowing you to connect directly with our team when you need us for guidance that is easy to understand and crafted with your best interests in mind.

We’re here to advise, guide, and fight for you. Listening to ensure your voice is heard. Acting to ensure your future is protected.

Pillar-specific scripts followed this structure:

BROAD CAPABILITIES, FOCUSED EXPERTISE

We know that every story, every situation, and every case is unique. When one moment of disruption today means an uncertain tomorrow, you need the best.

We’ve got them. Between our Board Certified, Personal Injury experts and our team of attorneys across all areas of practice ready to support them, we bring a gauntlet of experience…including in cases like your own.

We’re here to advise, guide, and fight for you. Listening to ensure your voice is heard. Acting to ensure your future is protected.

A proven legacy. A powerful future. Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon.

HUMAN FOCUSED

We know that when crisis hits, it can upend your life. When you find yourself thrust into a legal battle, you’re more than just a case – you’re a person.

We’re here to fight for your rights as if we were defending our own. Navigating your situation and at your side through confusion, towards resolution. To be an advisor and an ally.

Experience backed by results. Representing and protecting our community, in this generation and the next.

A proven legacy. A powerful future. Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon.

RESULTS

In the midst of life’s toughest challenges, it’s easy to compromise. To do whatever it takes to find that sense of normalcy. We are here to ensure that when you are faced with adversity, you accept nothing but the best.

We leverage our focused expertise and breadth of experience so that you don’t just settle but that you grow. We seek the biggest impact and the best possible result. For you. Your family. And your community.

Advocating for you today to create a better tomorrow.

A proven legacy. A powerful future. Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon.

This system was repeated across Commercial & Business, and Internal Team as well.

The beloved ESC logo was here to stay, giving us a strong foundation upon which we could start building supporting assets to elevate and reimagine the visual system. The updated look needed to project a feeling of legacy, trust, and professionalism. The challenge before us was blending a powerful and traditional legal look with elevated details without losing that buttoned-up aesthetic that firms have to own.

First, we expanded their existing color palette. We introduced deep, dominant blues for contrast and gold and copper to add warmth and a premium feel. An updated, modern type system was set, including standards around type design and hierarchy to assist with legibility. From there, we created a badge system for practice areas across the firm and textural assets such as wood-carved illustrations. With a new font system, a library of supporting elements and patterns, and a structural grid-based layout, we landed on a complete visual experience that is equal parts elegant and professional.

From this visual system, we created a complete visual rebuild across all collateral—from an updated digital presence to traditional printed media. New business cards and stationery were created to help roll out the new ESC brand and unify each area of practice. It was paramount throughout the process that firm-wide cohesion was established.

The new Emmanual Sheppard and Condon brand is modern yet full of history, reiterating “A proven legacy. A powerful future.”

With the new brand in place, we have continued to support the Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon team across a variety of marketing efforts. This includes: