The challenge
The Bar profession in Northern Ireland has come under increasing competitive pressure and suffered bad press due to a lack of clarity and awareness of the specialist nature and difference that barristers make. In effect, the public and media cannot tell the difference between a solicitor and a barrister. This confusion goes as far as members of the assembly.
The brand structure of the bar is incredibly confusing and complex, with the Bar Library, as the external face of the profession, and a range of other entities such as The Bar Council, The Executive Council, various committees, associations and services all connected but with no sense of order or hierarchy.
The project
The Bar Library commissioned Slater Design to review the Bar Library brand. We partnered with Slater to review the brand architecture and run a facilitated brand workshop, with the intent to agree an external face for the Bar and create a structure to connect and relate to the various strata of brands and services beneath it.
A representative group of stakeholders, barristers and administrators came together in a facilitated workshop to determine what would be the most appropriate ‘shop window’ brand to represent the Bar, to be personified and act as the the ‘voice’ of the profession.
The session was structured in order to widen their insight and awareness, enable attendees to be fully engaged and to make positive contributions in a controlled environment.
Through this session, it was agreed to create a new master brand for the Bar: The Bar of Northern Ireland. The role of this brand was to acting as an ambassador for the profession and standard barer for quality and reputation and a platform from which to order and structure all supporting brands.
Slater Design created the new master brand identity, visual toolkit and sub brand architecture.
