Nine Chambers

After decades operating under the name 9 St John Street, this Manchester-based set of over 110 barristers, including 10 King’s Counsel, was ready for transformation. The leadership team sought to refresh their identity, align their digital presence with their national standing, and resolve brand confusion with similarly named chambers.

Project goals

The brief encompassed both strategic branding and technical requirements:

• Develop a new visual identity for the newly named chambers.

• Deliver a more intuitive, modern website to better serve solicitors, pupils, and prospective tenants.

• Shift to a CMS that allows for easier internal content updates.

• Build tools to promote chambers activity, including news, events, and recruitment.

This wasn’t just a brand and website redesign project, it was a full repositioning. The team at Square Eye were tasked with delivering something built to last.

Solutions

The rebrand and website build spanned multiple strands—from visual identity to user experience—each designed to support the chambers’ transition and express its evolving values

Brand identity

The project was underpinned by a clear ambition to modernise the chambers’ presentation while retaining its Northern character and national stature. The name Nine Chambers had already emerged as the preferred option: short, distinctive, and a natural evolution from the former name. Likewise, the strapline “Northern Identity. National Excellence.” was developed internally and encapsulated the spirit of the rebrand with clarity and confidence.

Our task was to take these elements and build a brand identity that would bring them to life; visually, materially, and conceptually.

The final mark draws inspiration from Manchester’s industrial heritage. Its modernist, broken vertical lines reference the skyline of chimneys that once fuelled the city’s explosive growth and economic clout. A gold foil finish applied to print materials adds a layer of tactile richness, evoking both the opulence of the industrial boom and the physicality of the goods once manufactured and traded in the region.

Design & branded assets

The identity design phase focused on creating a visual system that could support the next 20 years of the chambers’ growth.

From the start, the team expressed a clear desire to move away from red and blue—the dominant colour choices among competing chambers. Instead, we developed a neutral but confident palette, paired with strong, modern typography. The tone is professional but fresh—ideal for cross-sector appeal.

We designed and delivered:

• A bespoke logotype, avoiding generic legal motifs like columns, scales or shields

• Business stationery (letterhead, comp slip, business cards)

• Digital templates for social media platforms (LinkedIn, X)

• Event banners and brand usage guidelines

• Iconography and graphic elements to extend brand cohesion

The resulting brand is flexible and elegant, working just as well on a barrister’s profile page as it does in a seminar presentation.

With strong visuals and a clear voice, the new identity supports Nine Chambers’ repositioning in the market and makes them instantly recognisable across print and digital channels.

Digital platform

A major part of the transformation was rebuilding the website with a cleaner structure, more intuitive functionality, and a better user experience—particularly for solicitors, pupils and prospective tenants.

We implemented a custom WordPress build with:

• Advanced filtering for people pages: by name, role, seniority and practice area

• Event calendar and content types to support future seminars or hosted events

• Responsive layouts for seamless use across mobile and desktop

• Contact and enquiry forms optimised for clerk engagement and CRM capture

• Barrister profiles with downloadable PDFs, recognisable photos, and optional clerk links

• Practice area pages rewritten to reflect clarity of expertise and tone of voice

• News and blog tools to share insights, updates and thought leadership

Accessibility was prioritised throughout, with clear navigation and mobile-first design standards. The WordPress CMS was tailored to empower the chambers team to maintain the site independently going forward.

The result is a faster, smarter website that speaks to each of the chambers’ key audiences (solicitors, clients, potential recruits) and helps them quickly find the people and information they need.

Messaging & structure

Alongside the new site, we worked to clarify and enhance the messaging architecture. The previous site had become dense and inconsistent, making it difficult for visitors to navigate or find relevant information.

Our restructured site map introduced:

• A focused “Find a barrister” journey for time-pressed solicitors.

• Expanded recruitment sections for pupils and lateral hires.

• Clear calls-to-action and contact points for all user types.

• Smart use of testimonials, awards and affiliations without clutter.

• Strong integration of brand language across all key content types.

Copy for key pages was refined to express Nine Chambers’ core values: excellence, trust, integrity, and a collaborative culture that encourages long-term careers.

With a refined voice and simplified structure, the new site gives Nine Chambers a confident platform for external engagement and internal storytelling.

The result

The new name and website were launched in tandem with the chambers’ move to new city-centre premises. The rebrand unified physical, digital and cultural transformation—creating a seamless narrative of renewal.

At every touchpoint, Nine Chambers now presents as what it is: a progressive, high-calibre, nationally respected set of barristers with deep regional roots and clear ambitions.