Capsticks
Turnover +279% since 2007
Inside out. National growth. More than.
“Our new brand vision is already working for us. Clients get it, they immediately understand that we’re here to help and to support them in all that they do.
Peter Edwards
Senior Partner
Capsticks knows healthcare law ‘inside out’. That’s what our original rebranding of the firm set out to communicate in 2007, through X-ray photographs and bold typography. The following years saw turnover double and the firm expand into Social Housing, Regulation, Insurance and Consultancy Services.
In 2013 we were invited back. Not to fix something broken, but to help Capsticks go from great to even greater. The board’s question: how can our brand support our ambitious growth plans over the next five to ten years?
Through workshops and stakeholder interviews we defined a new positioning: ‘More than just the law.’ For the first time, we gave Capsticks firm-wide brand values: Supportive, Practical, Young in Outlook, Drawn to Ideas. The most surprising was ‘Young in Outlook’ — not a value you’d normally associate with a top law firm, but one that proved absolutely true when tested.
We called it a gentle revolution. The red logo, X-ray photography, typefaces and colours stayed. We introduced hand-drawn illustrations and vibrant colour blocks to bring the new values to life, adding depth and range without losing what had built the firm’s reputation.
Within a year, revenue was up 17%. Tenders rose 18%. Employees grew 9%. Over 17 years, turnover has grown from £17m to £72m. Partners +34%. Fee earners +295%.”
Impact Turnover +279% since 2007 Transform Award winner
“Capsticks are the market leaders with their fingers firmly on the pulse.” Chambers
We introduced the core branding elements in our 2007 rebrand. They’ve become so synonymous to Capsticks’ identity and personality that during the workshops to redefine their vision and values, one new Social Housing Partner said, “Don’t touch the logo. We love the logo. And the red, don’t touch the red. The x-ray images define Capsticks so we don’t want to lose those either.”
“Capsticks is a firm in a tough sector – public health – where pricing is as keen as it gets. Capsticks has been striving to make its business as efficient and client-focused as possible . . . and the results have been phenomenal.” The Lawyer
“Our story of who we are is now clearly defined and this helps us not only with business tenders but also with recruiting the best people. We now have a clearly defined set of values and a shared sense of purpose which has reinvigorated people within the business. They’re being more themselves, less lawyery, which is good for them and good for our clients.” Vicky MacDonald Hill, Director of Marketing and Business Development
We’re proud to have won at the Transform Awards Europe for our Capsticks brand work Silver / Best brand development project to reflect changed mission / values / positioning Highly Commended / Best implementation of a brand development project
What we did
We led the original rebrand in 2007, and the brand evolution in 2013: both times starting with audit, research, strategy, positioning, identity and brand guidelines. In 2013 we added a new positioning (‘More than just the law’), brand values, tone of voice, illustrations, website, digital apps, brochures and exhibition environments. The new brand became so embedded in the firm’s culture that nearly two decades later, nobody wanted to change a thing.
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