The Brand Standard Since 1907.

Lessing-Flynn has been in the business of big ideas since 1907. This guide exists so that every touchpoint — every headline, every color choice, every photograph — reflects the same fearless, craft-obsessed agency we’ve always been.

What follows is not a rulebook. It’s a set of convictions. Use them to think, create, and communicate like Lessing-Flynn.

Who We Are

“Clever catalyst.”

A charismatic partner that sparks bold growth through sharp wit and fearless curiosity — igniting brands with ideas that move audiences to action.

How We Sound

“Clever and confident — but not quite cocky.”

Sharp. Witty. Unafraid. We say what we mean and mean something when we say it.

What We Do

“Creatively solving complex brand challenges.”

Independently owned. Deeply invested. We treat every client’s problem like it’s our own — because we kind of do.

Logo

The Lessing-Flynn wordmark is inspired by our past and the history of our industry. When Paul Lessing published The Melting Pot in 1911, he set out a conviction that good ideas, clearly expressed, have the power to move people to action. That hasn’t changed.

The wordmark is set in Caslon — a typeface with deep roots in American history — because the name deserves type with the same weight of legacy behind it. No icon. No emblem. Just the name, standing on its own, as it has for over a century.

On White

On Black

Clear Space

Always maintain a minimum clear space around the wordmark equal to the height of the “L” on all sides — measured from the cap height above, the baseline below, and the outer stems of the first and last letters on each side. Note that letter descenders will extend into this space. This zone must remain free of all other elements, text, and imagery.

Do’s & Don’ts

✓ Do

Use the wordmark at full resolution on clean, high-contrast backgrounds.

✕ Don’t

Don’t distort, stretch, skew, or alter the wordmark’s proportions.

✓ Do

Use the inverted (white) version on dark and photographic backgrounds.

✕ Don’t

Don’t recolor, add outlines, drop shadows, or apply effects.

✓ Do

Reproduce the wordmark at sizes where all letterforms remain legible.

✕ Don’t

Don’t scale the wordmark so small the letterforms become illegible. Use the quill mark instead.

Typography

Three typefaces. Each with a distinct role. Together they build a voice that is simultaneously historic and immediately legible — heritage with purpose, craft with precision.

HWT Unit Gothic — Headlines, Subheads, Graphic Elements

Ideas That
Move People.

HWT Unit Gothic anchors the Lessing-Flynn visual voice. Its industrial origins — rooted in wood-type letterpress printing of the late 1800s — align with the agency’s heritage. Use it bold, big, and uppercase. At small sizes with generous tracking, it works as a label and caption face.

Available Widths

716 — Extended Lessing-Flynn

717 Lessing-Flynn

718 — Primary Lessing-Flynn

719 Lessing-Flynn

720 Lessing-Flynn

721 Lessing-Flynn

722 — Condensed Lessing-Flynn

Akzidenz-Grotesk Next — Body Copy, Subheads, Readable Text

Founded in 1907, Lessing-Flynn is the longest-standing independently owned advertising agency in America. We help clients solve complex brand challenges, producing award-winning work across a variety of industries.

Akzidenz-Grotesk Next is our workhorse — a refinement of one of the most influential sans-serifs ever designed, predating Helvetica by decades. It carries the same rational clarity with more warmth. Use it for all body copy, readable subheads, captions, and UI text.

Regular — Primary The quick brown fox.

Bold The quick brown fox.

Regular Italic The quick brown fox.

Bold Italic The quick brown fox.

Scotch Text — Graphic Elements, Select Headlines (Sparingly)

“Charged up
with big ideas.”

Scotch Text brings editorial elegance and historical character. Think 19th-century newspaper mastheads and book titles. Use it for pull quotes, typographic accents, and moments when copy deserves a stage. Never for body copy or UI.

Hierarchy in Practice

Label — Akzidenz / 10px / tracking +250

Big Idea
Headline

Subhead — Akzidenz / 22px / 400

A supporting statement that frames the idea.

Body — Akzidenz / 17px / 400 / 1.7 leading

Supporting copy that delivers the full idea with warmth and precision. Readable, purposeful, never decorative.

Color

Lessing-Flynn lives in black and white — clean, authoritative, timeless. Color is a tool, not a decoration. When it appears, it commands attention precisely because it’s earned its place on the page.

Accent colors appear one at a time. Never two together on the same page. Think of each as a spotlight, not a floodlight.

Primary Palette

Black

#000000

RGB 0 / 0 / 0

CMYK 0 / 0 / 0 / 100

White

#FFFFFF

RGB 255 / 255 / 255

CMYK 0 / 0 / 0 / 0

Accent Palette

Rotate through the accent palette across campaigns and contexts. Never use two accents together. Each color should feel like a deliberate choice, not one of many options.

Signature

LF Orange

#FA7201

RGB 250 / 114 / 1

CMYK 0 / 55 / 100 / 0

Accent 1

Electric Blue

#1A6BFF

RGB 26 / 107 / 255

CMYK 100 / 50 / 0 / 0

Accent 2

Catalyst Green

#00B84A

RGB 0 / 184 / 74

CMYK 65 / 0 / 100 / 0

Accent 3

Signal Pink

#FF2070

RGB 255 / 32 / 112

CMYK 0 / 100 / 0 / 0

In Use — Full-Bleed Color Blocks

Accent colors work as full-bleed blocks with white text. They do not appear as tints, gradients, or combinations. One per page. One at a time.

LF Orange

Big ideas.
Bold color.

Electric Blue

Charged up.
Always.

Catalyst Green

Since
1907.

Signal Pink

The last
agency
you’ll need.

Photography

Good photography is honest. Lessing-Flynn imagery avoids the artificial — no stiff poses, no generic stock, no heavy-handed retouching. Whether we’re shooting our people, capturing work in the wild, or documenting a client’s world, the goal is the same: images that feel real, immediate, and worth a second look.

Natural light. Authentic moments. Compositions that leave a little room to breathe.

Our
People.

Our people are the proof of our culture — curious, forward-thinking, and genuinely all in. Portraits are direct and confident, not posed or performative. Off-center framing, natural light, and authentic moments over studio setups.

Dynamic &
Editorial.

Beyond people, Lessing-Flynn photography captures energy in motion — objects, environments, action, texture. These images should feel mid-thought: imperfect, immediate, interesting.

Portfolio &
Work.

Client work and co-brand photography should demonstrate craft and strategic intent. Show the work in context — in the wild, on screen, in print. Not in a vacuum.

✓ Do’s

Natural light or light that feels natural
Authentic, un-posed moments
Off-center compositions
High contrast, clean blacks
Subjects engaged, not performing
Context and environment in frame

✕ Don’ts

Heavy filters or over-processed edits
Staged group “we’re a team!” shots
Generic stock photography
Lens flare, HDR, heavy vignetting
Low resolution or soft images
Busy, cluttered backgrounds

Graphic Elements

The Lessing-Flynn graphic language extends beyond the wordmark. A small set of supporting elements — the quill symbol, typographic marks, ruled lines, and the year stamp — give our brand visual texture and depth without competing with the work itself.

Use these elements with intention. They reinforce the brand’s personality when applied well, and undermine it when overused.

The
Quill.

The quill mark is Lessing-Flynn’s graphic symbol — a nod to the ink-stained origins of the advertising trade and the craft of writing that has always powered great creative work. Before digital, before television, before radio, there was a person with an idea and a pen. The quill honors that lineage.

It appears in three forms. Use it as an accent element, compositional anchor, or texture — never as a replacement for the full wordmark.

Black

Light backgrounds

White

Dark backgrounds

Orange

Accent / emphasis

✓ Appropriate Uses

Standalone mark in social avatars or app icons
Section divider or bullet graphic
Large-scale background texture element
Embossed or debossed on print collateral
Paired with the wordmark in lockup compositions

✕ Never Do This

Use in place of the full wordmark as primary ID
Recolor beyond the three approved variants
Add shadows, bevels, glows, or effects
Stretch, skew, rotate, or distort the form
Use orange on a low-contrast background

Typographic Elements

Beyond the quill, the brand’s graphic language is built from type. Year marks, rule lines, label caps, and large-scale headline treatments are all graphic elements. HWT Unit Gothic at scale, used boldly and with restraint, is itself a design tool.

Year Stamp — Outline

1907

Label + Rule + Headline

Section Label

Headline
Treatment

Voice & Tone

Lessing-Flynn’s voice is the product of over a century of talking to business owners, brand managers, and marketing directors who’ve seen enough agency swagger to know when it’s real and when it’s not. Ours is real.

We’re clever — but not precious about it. Confident — but quick to laugh at ourselves. We never brag without earning it first.

Clever Confident Witty Unafraid Candid Curious Forward-Thinking Smile-Inducing Boundary-Pushing

“We are quite possibly the last ad agency you’ll ever need.”

Clever: makes the reader reflect on every agency before. Confident: states the fact plainly. Not cocky: “quite possibly” keeps it playful.

The Spectrum

✓ We Sound Like This

“Product launching since 1907.”

“Give us a marketing challenge and we’ll get you charged up with big ideas that power your brand forward.”

“Our core values are more refreshing than a gulp of Ice-T.”

✕ We Don’t Sound Like This

“Our integrated marketing solutions leverage synergistic brand ecosystems to drive KPI-forward outcomes at scale.”

“We are a full-service agency with decades of experience serving clients across multiple verticals.”

“We are very excited to announce our new partnership with…”

Voice Principles

Say It Once

If you’ve made your point, stop. Repetition is not emphasis — it’s insecurity dressed up as thoroughness.

Earn the Wit

Every clever turn of phrase should have a point. We don’t joke for the sake of joking — we joke to make an idea land harder.

Be Direct

Agency jargon is the enemy. Say what you mean in plain language. Our clients are smart — talk to them that way.

Stay Curious

Every great headline started with a question. Curiosity isn’t a personality trait — it’s the first step in the creative process.

Own the History

1907 is not a number. It’s credibility. Proof. Earned authority no other agency in America can claim. Use it with pride — not nostalgia.

All In

Our people. Our clients. Our communities. When we say all in, it shows in everything — the work, the words, the relationships. That’s a standard, not a slogan.

Brand Standards — Internal Use Only

Des Moines, Iowa — Est. 1907

The Brand Standard Since 1907.

Logo

Clear Space

Do’s & Don’ts

Typography

Hierarchy in Practice

Color

Primary Palette

Accent Palette

In Use — Full-Bleed Color Blocks

Photography

OurPeople.

Dynamic &Editorial.

Portfolio &Work.

Graphic Elements

TheQuill.

Typographic Elements

Voice & Tone

The Spectrum

Voice Principles

Our
People.

Dynamic &
Editorial.

Portfolio &
Work.

The
Quill.