Allensworth
Rebranding a Texas Construction Law Firm
The longest-standing construction law firm in Austin, Allensworth & Porter has built a reputation for no-nonsense, innovative legal thinking. They recognized a need to more effectively showcase the firm’s strengths and offerings, and engaged Knox Design Strategy to develop more engaging and relevant positioning and strategy for the firm.
First, we conducted a series of workshops and interviews with the firm’s attorneys, associates, and clients to learn as much as possible about the firm and its services, people, and culture. Through this process, we identified some key gaps in how the firm was perceived.
Our resulting strategy report detailed the need for a new visual and verbal brand identity, in order to differentiate Allensworth & Porter from its competitors and show the vitality and personality of the firm and its attorneys. The brand personality spectrum analysis we created revealed the firm’s values, goals and identity, and helped build consensus on their desired perceptions.
Working with a new, shortened firm name – Allensworth – we crafted a graphic identity, setting the name in all lowercase, framed by a simple triangular graphic selected to represent the firm’s three fundamental types of clients (owners, contractors, and design professionals) while leveraging a subtle reference to structural detail.
We introduced the concept of “The Allensworth 360° View” into core firm messaging, and created an infographic to illustrate the firm’s breadth of experience. The new messaging guidelines repositioned the firm so that its messaging and identity are clear and in alignment: Allensworth is construction law.
With the messaging and visual identity in place, we designed and developed their custom, responsive website. We integrated the new graphic identity into the website design, and sourced elegant architectural imagery to highlight Allensworth’s attention to detail. Attorney and staff photography was an important piece of the new identity and site, with large and impactful images that highlight each individual’s personality.
For the website, we leveraged cross-linking opportunities across the open-source content management system for easy maintenance of cases, experience, and publications. We also integrated one-click customizable and downloadable PDF/Word templates into the back end for bio, practice and client pages, which simplifies the content management of bios and streamlines new-business presentation development.
Accolades
Gold, 2021 MUSE Creative Awards, Law & Legal Services Website
Silver, 2021 Davey Awards, Law & Legal Services for Websites
The Knox team was a squad of true excellence, and we loved working with them. Consummate professionals with a killer array of skill sets, all cheerfully and energetically looking for a way to help us achieve our goals of a new website and rebranding for the firm’s second quarter-century. We’re very grateful to Brandie and her crack team.
—Matthew Ryan, Partner, Allensworth
Every SEO metric has improved for Allensworth, in year-over-year comparisons across pre-Covid and pandemic year data points.
Throughout the site, we leveraged cross-linking to streamline content entry, retain visitors for longer periods of time, and increase click-through rates. Bios automatically display content for cases, experience and publications from the back end, eliminating the need to update content in multiple places.
Custom-designed templates were integrated into the CMS. On the back end, an admin user can select which areas of a bio to export to PDF/Word templates, providing opportunities for customization while managing all of the firm’s bios in one centralized location.
