<< Back to articles Corporate Identity? Surely it's just a name and a logo design!
Well, I tend to disagree. To me, a Corporate Identity is not only the visual representation of a business (name, tagline: value proposition in minimal number of words, logo design, corporate colors and typeface), but also its philosophy and its values. In today's world, we are all bombarded with information, every waking minute. Globalization increases competition, products are interchangeable, and new products
come to the market at an ever faster rate. Every business is competing for our attention. Selection of a supplier is not solely based on price or availability anymore; customers have the luxury to choose suppliers they can identify with. To get noticed in the market we are trading in, we need to do more than simply communicate product benefits and the ROI of the services we offer. The competencies, the philosophy and the values of our business need to be emphasized as well. A Corporate Identity, if it's managed well and executed at all levels, does just that. It gives the business a clear
positioning, not only towards its customers and prospects, but also its staff, the press, suppliers, the competition and the authorities. Through its clear distinction in the market, the business will be identifiable and recognizable. But the image of a business is not only shaped by its Logo Design. The press and the competition can also alter the way a business is perceived in the market. The process of creating, implementing and maintaining a Corporate Identity will have to account for that. That's why it is imperative that the identity a company has created for itself is consistent and filters through all levels of the
business. Consistency is of utmost importance. In order to ensure a consistent communication of a company's identity, Style Guidelines need be created, distributed to staff and suppliers, and used whenever materials are created that will be distributed to the outside world, whether it be stationery, products, packaging, exhibition stands, Web sites, e-mails etc. Another important aspect is that all staff needs to be able to identify with the company's Corporate Identity and feel comfortable with it, so that it is communicated constantly and consistently.
From a company's reception area, to
telephone manners, the design of all printed materials and Web sites, to public relations, every aspect of a business has to breathe its Corporate Identity to be believable and distinguishable. Only then can the business have the chance of being taken seriously in the market, and ultimately to succeed.
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