The design of an accounting or CPA firm logo must especially include elements that reflect the nature of the firm. Common motifs include abstract symbols, financial graphs, check marks, and representations of balance or stability, such as scales.

So why do so many smaller accounting firms choose to use their initials instead of their actual names? Part of the problem is that the biggest accounting firms use their initials as their logo. Think KPMG, PwC, E&Y, BDO, BKD, RSM, UHY, CBIZ. The thinking might be – “They’re big and successful.

If you want to run a successful accounting firm, your logo is something important to consider. A CPA’s logo is often the first thing a prospective client sees, and even if they’re not design aficionados, your logo sends them unconscious signals about what you do, what your values are, and how you conduct your business.

Accounting/CPA firms like using initials instead of names. For most firms, we think it's a bad idea. Read this before redesigning a logo with initials.

We know that for many professional-services firms (e.g. law, accounting, consulting, etc.), using initials is simply a necessary compromise — a less-controversial way to abbreviate the...