Not a pigment of your imagination, law departments!

More than half (56%) of the top 200 US law firms use some shade of blue as the primary color in their graphic identities or logos, says PARTNERS+simons in Law Practice, Vol. 32, March 2006 at 9. Commentary on this stunning finding explains that clients – law department lawyers who are not color blind – sense that blue communicates calm and is associated with royalty and authority (think Big Blue, the Blue Danube, and Blue Bayou).

The 17 percent of those firms that choose shades of red appreciate that to clients this suggests excitement, action and aggression (think the Red Baron, Red Brigade, and Red Alert).

As to the rest of the palette, 7 percent employ a shade of gray, a scant 5 percent use the color of money, and only two have selected the down-to-earth brown.

General counsel, raise a hue and cry; observe the best practice: hire firms on capability not logo color!