Corporate Identity - A Rough Guide

A rough guide to corporate identity

The tabloids report the millions spent by large corporate companies on their logos as a scandal... Those small swathes of colour adorning British Airways' tail fin, ICI's letterhead or Sainsbury's checkout seem to come at a huge price.

So do these companies have too much money and not enough common sense? Are they victims of designer indulgence, or are they getting a good deal?

This isn't rocket science, but it is often misunderstood, as the tabloids flagrantly show. Let's start at the beginning. Every company has a corporate image. Every company from Joe's One-Man Taxi Co. to IBM. It may be good, it might be bad. Put simply, corporate identity is the way in which an organisation is perceived.

Corporate identity describes the individual characteristics by which a company is recognised. It is the organisation's sense of 'self' - the corporate individuality or personality. Visual identity (that's the logo) is a pretty big part of it.

So how deep into corporate identity do you want to go? Let's really confuse matters.

The public, customers, employees, the city, all have a vastly different image of the same company. The image is an accumulation of a company's past and present identity. Each and every encounter we have with it (by phone, in person or through the media) alters our impression. First impressions (what psychologists call the "primacy effect") are vital to how we see the company in the future, and extremely difficult to change. Future encounters with the company and its products will only add to the mosaic already constructed in our mind (the "recency effect"), rather than replace it.

But the multi-nationals have bought far more than just a logo. They buy a carefully designed face - corporate plastic surgery, an appearance, an identity. And they've paid for a lorry-load of thinking behind it. They have funds and enough at stake to really do the job properly. The logo isn't plucked from the sky, but selected with precision from thousands of others which were cast aside during its design.

A research team identifies the company's needs (they are all so very different). A corporate ID programme uses the results and a design team is briefed. Ideas lead to solutions, and stage by stage presentation to the client for discussion and refinement.

Once completed, the ID is usually 'rolled out' gradually, strictly enforced by lengthy guidelines covering all possible applications. The advent of desktop publishing has both helped and hindered in-house bastardisation of corporate identity. Without consistency, the identity is ineffective, probably damaging.

There are companies in the UK still unconcerned by their image. Some feel the company is not developed enough to begin work on its image; others perceive astronomical costs, or just don't care that their corporate communications look like the office dog ate them. And some just slap a logo on everything in sight.

You don't have to spend millions on corporate Identity

Many household names would not exist without painstakingly designed and instigated schemes that we as customers seldom even consciously consider. So what of those companies who don't have millions to outlay on corporate identity programmes? Fortunately, the corporate identity for a smaller company tends to be far simpler.

Your corporate identity programme can be conducted in-house, just as the research and much of the development. Always keep it very simple, and brief an appropriate designer not a print company. Make sure you get on with them, and see some of their past work. Get a rough quote before you start. Cut down any wrong trees they are likely to bark up. Inspire them. Be direct. Be patient. Be decisive. Give them 'creative freedom'. Ensure they get to know and understand your business. Try to see your company from the point of view of your target market.

Keep the number of presentations they make to you to a minimum. This adds importance to those meetings. Don't compromise, but do stay open-minded. It doesn't have to be expensive, and an investment in a well thought-out corporate identity for your business will reap its cost many times over, not to mention giving you a massive advantage over your badly-dressed competitors.

Next time you walk down the street, look out for Sainsbury's which is certainly tasting better at last. It took their designers nearly three years to lose the 'J' and find a replacement for that ghastly orangey-beige. Check out Barclays' gorgeous new global eagle. And while you're there, you might remember that Tesco not so many years ago looked a little bit like Kwik Save does today. Next time you decide to skimp on the presentation of your company, think how much you spent on your best suit. Don't turn up to the ball in your jeans!

Written for In Business Magazine by Jonathan Foster-Smith from Shine Design., graphic design and corporate identity consultants in Oxford. Distributed by Whatprice.

---

Branding 101: Why Its Critical to Business Success and How to Do It Right

What's Your Brand?A brand is a product/company personality that helps... Read More

How To Create A Brand That Sticks

Most people, when they hear the word branding, think logos... Read More

The Brand Called You

The best brands always try... Read More

Branding Junk Removal - He Did It, Can You?

What does it mean to be remarkable?Brian Scudamore, CEO and... Read More

Brand Equity

Brand equity can be defined in many different ways. I... Read More

Build Brand Value BIG Time

Ask your self this question, In which business are we... Read More

Tips for Creating Brilliant Business Names

Imagine if Yahoo! had been named TheInternetDirectoy. Or StarBucks was... Read More

Into The Limelight

To stand out in a cluttered world, become a recognized... Read More

Setting the Right Price

One of the ways people get to know you is... Read More

No Logo? Launching A Business Without a Logo Can Sabotage You

Initial lack of customers and cash flow often causes a... Read More

Boston Web Design Branding - Brand Identity Guru

A branding company's website purpose is to design websites that... Read More

Business Case Study Automotive Detailing Franchise Company

How do automotive detailing companies start? What makes them work... Read More

Branding Services - Brand Identity Guru

Branding Services is a tactic that marketing executives and managers... Read More

Value Proposition Writing - Brand Identity Guru

Your Value Proposition, or as I usually call it, your... Read More

Co-Branding in Automotive Service Businesses

In a world of co-branding, point of destination strategies and... Read More

A Successful Failure

A successfully positioned business sometimes doesn't win a new client.... Read More

Branding - More Than Just a Statement - A Memory Scar

Conjure up in your mind broad rolling meadows with runs... Read More

Brand Love, Part 2

Last issue, I talked about increasing your Brand Love-- meaning... Read More

You?ll Bring a Parade of Business to Your Door!

Parades happen in every big city and many small towns.... Read More

Branded Email: Email Branding is the Next Generation of Email

All You Need is Branded Email Or Always Branded Email... Read More

How Brand as an Intellectual Property has Led to Corporate Globalisation?

IntroductionGlobalisation is referred to as a set of profound material... Read More

Brand Image - Brand Identity - Brand Strategy - Brand Identity Guru

Consumers perceive and accept many brands within a certain trade... Read More

Strategic Moves In The Branding Gamble!

The so called 'globalisation' has cluttered the world markets with... Read More

Logo Design - Branding - Brand Identity Guru

Do you have any idea how important your company logo... Read More

Branding Your Business To Make More Money

Branding your comapny should be the first thing a company... Read More

Brand Identity and Brand Image - Brand Identity Guru

It is important to distinguish between corporate identity, brand identity,... Read More

The Very Basics of Design

Design is a very subjective thing, therefore, if you ask... Read More

Strategy and Tips for a Successful Logo Design

Visual processing is the most important way for gathering information... Read More

Corporate Identity - A Rough Guide

A rough guide to corporate identityThe tabloids report the millions... Read More

Id Buy That: Getting A Brand Mindset

Feel that? The crisp tingle in the air? It's fall.... Read More

Why Having A Niche Automatically Boosts Your Credibility - Become The Expert by Getting Focused

Yes, yes, we've heard it all before... loads of life... Read More

The Top 10 Strategies for the Positioning of Success

Many businesses of today are often driven to compete striclty... Read More

Franchising is Virtually Fraud Free

The number of complaints to the Federal Trade Commission on... Read More