Though the relationship spans two decades and many projects, our most significant piece of work began in 2018, when DLA Piper asked us to reposition their place in the market.

“I have worked with Will and Within International for a decade, so they knew a lot about our firm already. The research they did to identify the people narrative which is so relevant to our business and so critical to me personally is what makes our visual identity the best in the business. There is nothing that looks like it, but better still, there is nothing that tells a story in the way this does anywhere in the world.”

When approaching the project, we wanted to create something completely unique to DLA Piper, which no other brand – let alone law firm – had ever done before. Through an inspiring discovery phase, our team was able to bridge DLA Piper’s underlying values with their unique differentiator. The result? A brand created uniquely around the voices of its people.

Imagine if what we say and what we stand for could be seen as well as heard. The DLA Piper identity was created using a range of voices, from the most junior to the most senior employees, saying one of the 20 words strategically extracted from our research to accurately represent what the firm stands for. Captured using a high-sensitivity microphone, each voice was imported into Cinema 4D where the soundwaves were turned into beautiful 3D graphic sculptures we call ‘strings’. ‘Unlike anything else in the market’, the strings act as visual cornerstones of all communications.

To support the graphic elements, Noto by Google was chosen as the new typeface to make communications more visually impactful and clean across print and digital platforms for all languages. Covering over 30 scripts, it was an appropriate choice of typeface for a global market leader.

“We have grown and learned so much as an agency with the support of DLA Piper and their leadership team. If there is such a thing as a perfect client-agency relationship, then this is surely it.”