Wired into Washington. Felt across the world.

Over nearly four decades, Wiley has been at the forefront of defining the legal and regulatory frameworks for the most instrumental change-makers in the world. But the firm has evolved significantly over the years—and as its team accelerated into a new decade, it needed an identity that could effectively communicate its legacy of impact, as well as its vision for the future. That’s where Contrast & Co. came in. And thus, Wiley Rein became Wiley. The new name reinforces the firm’s highly focused perspective—but its functionality extends far beyond mere ease and elegance. Paired with a new law firm logo, imagery, and custom wiley.law website, the new identity mirrors Wiley’s unique structure and client-focused mindset, as well as more clearly defining its elite collection of practices.

Creating a symbol.

What’s the first step to creating a distinct identity for one of the most influential firms in DC? Streamlining the logotype to be tighter, more focused, and bolder than ever. Next, we enhanced the brand’s texture by extending the logotype into a signature monogram that locks to the right of design compositions, further reinforcing the concept of being wired into—or plugged into—Washington. Last, we added a final extension of the original monogram, which we like to call the pillar. It easily flexes from masking element to color-blocked overlay, and can even serve as a scaled-down kicker for type-heavy compositions. The finished result: a design suite that’s both quintessentially ownable and boundlessly scalable.

Establishing a system.

Wiley’s elite practices may be headquartered in Washington, DC—but in order for the brand’s impact to be felt across the world, it needs to thrive in increasingly digital channels. So we built a design system that flexes across mobile displays, social platforms, and desktop presentations alike. The focal element across these platforms: photography. When we create law firm branding, we consider the people that make up the firm—and the unique capabilities they bring to the table—first and foremost. So we created a look defined by imagery of those people and thematic representations of the transformative work they can do for their clients. The finishing touch? A bold typography system that stretches from practice area brochures to digital marketing campaigns, all the while eliciting a sense of sophistication at every touchpoint.

Capturing a philosophy.

A brand is a reflection of its people—and even more importantly, of their ideas. And as we set out to understand where Wiley Rein LLC had come from, and where Wiley would go, we noticed a series of ideas coming up from their team time and again. We distilled those ideas into a unifying set of principles: the Wiley Way. This series of key operating values institutionalize and protect everything from how Wiley employees collaborate with one another to why the firm focuses on encouraging diverse perspectives. Each Way has its own signature look, and together, they form a set that can serve everything from recruitment to onboarding to ongoing company culture efforts.

Telling the world.

Conceiving a visually striking law firm brand identity is one thing. Bringing it to life with consideration for scale and longevity is another challenge altogether. We partnered with the Wiley team as they activated the new brand over several months, serving as a trusted advisor across touchpoints large and small. From framing out the internal launch and messaging strategy to producing a brand reel to visually express the evolution of the brand, we considered every micro-moment to ensure a smooth transition for clients and colleagues alike. Serving as champions for a comprehensive rollout gives our team license to create everything from promotional materials to environmental design. And just like that, Wiley has a powerful new brand that can extend far into the future.

Wiley was featured as a The Best Corporate Branding Example on DesignRush as one of the best designs.