Love & Logic x The Trademark Helpline: Strategic partnership for branding clients

As a brand designer, it’s common for clients to seek advice from me about trademarking logos. Over a decade ago, I handled the trademarking for Design By Day (my previous agency) myself — and so I’ve always been hesitant to give recommendations without recent, personal experience.

Since going solo and choosing the name Love & Logic, I’ve been uncertain about trademarking my logo. This hesitation arose when i discovered a well established US company called Love and Logic which provides practical resources for parenting and teaching.

The name Love & Logic was actually born out of Design By Day, when in 2019 we undertook an internal brand strategy piece of work. The term was part of our descriptor: ‘Design By Day: Brands and digital made with love and logic.’ I considered trademarking it at the time and even began the process, but got cold feet and withdrew the application — (opens in new tab) due to discouraging advice from a solicitor.

Jumping forward to early 2024, I met Matt Griffiths from The Trademark Helpline — (opens in new tab)

We discussed the potential of partnering our complimentary services. Eager to offer the best to my clients, I decided to use my own experience as a pilot case.

Matt walked me through the entire trademarking process. It started with a research phase, where they conducted searches in online trademark databases to identify any clear conflicts with existing trademarks. Following this, they produced a report — pinpointed a number of existing names and marks that could potentially oppose my trademark application, assigning a risk factor to each.

Matt fully explained the risks involved, and ultimately, the decision to proceed to the next phase of applying for the trademark was left up to me.

Feeling pretty confident I decided to go ahead, and the application was submitted.

A few weeks into the process, The Trademark Helpline informed me that they had received a letter from the solicitors of another company, indicating their intention to oppose my trademark. Matt reassured me that he was very confident in our ability to overcome the objection. In response, The Trademark Helpline drafted a letter detailing all the reasons why my trademark is distinct and should not be considered a conflict.

I’m pleased to say that my logo is now registered and protected — (opens in new tab).

Thanks Matt and The Trademark Helpline! — (opens in new tab).

The test case was successful, effectively showcasing the strength of their approach and laying the groundwork for a promising partnership. This experience has given me the confidence to recommend their services to my clients.

Here’s some great information to get you started on trademarks from the experts at The Trademark Helpline themselves:

• What is a trademark — (opens in new tab)
• Top 5 trademark myths — (opens in new tab)

Find our more about them here — (opensi n new tab).