CORPORATE IDENTITY TELLS YOU WHO YOU ARE AS A COMPANY. IT INCLUDES A COMPANY'S VALUES AND CULTURE, ALL THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE COMPANY AND ITS STAKEHOLDERS AND DESIGN ASPECTS. ALL ASPECTS ARE PART OF CORPORATE IDENTITY, FROM STATIONARY TO SOCIAL MEDIA ASSETS TO LOGOS, STAFF UNIFORMS, AND BILLBOARD ADS TO OFFER SIGNAGE. THESE ASPECTS HELP ONE IDENTIFY A CORPORATE AND ARE A TANGIBLE REPRESENTATION OF ITS PERSONALITY. CORPORATE IDENTITY IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH BRAND IDENTITY. A CORPORATE MAY HAVE SEVERAL BRANDS UNDER ITS UMBRELLA. EACH OF THESE BRANDS WILL HAVE A DISTINCT IDENTITY WHILE ALSO ADHERING TO CORPORATE IDENTITY ELEMENTS. E.G. APPLE HAS ONE CORPORATE IDENTITY: THE BITTEN APPLE LOGO AND WHITE STORES. BUT IT ALSO HAS SEVERAL BRANDS UNDER IT, SUCH AS IPHONE, MACBOOK, IPAD AND APPLE WATCH. EACH OF THESE HAS AN INDIVIDUAL BRAND IDENTITY. CORPORATE IDENTITY'S IMPORTANCE HELPS CREATE A BRAND THAT IS QUICKLY, INSTANTLY IDENTIFIABLE AND RECALLED. THIS PROCESS REQUIRES THE MAINTENANCE OF A CONSISTENT APPEARANCE AND EXPERIENCE AT EVERY TOUCHPOINT. A COMPANY'S CORPORATE IDENTITY CAN INFLUENCE ITS BRAND IMAGE, WHICH IS OTHERWISE BUILT THROUGH INDEPENDENT COMMUNICATIONS WITH STAKEHOLDERS OUTSIDE OF THE COMPANY. IT CAN INCREASE THE COMPANY'S CONTROL OVER ITS BRAND IMAGE AND HELP IT STAND OUT FROM ITS COMPETITORS. IT HELPS WITH SUCCESSFUL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN INVESTORS, EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS. ELEMENTS OF CORPORATE IDENTITY
What is corporate identity and why is it important?
1. Company vision and purpose/mission : Businesses with a genuine and relevant ideas attract and retain customers and employees. For example, Tesla clearly envisioned creating energy-efficient and environment-friendly electric vehicles.
2. Values, culture and behaviour : The company’s culture and values are essential while building its corporate identity. The leadership has a company’s culture incorporated within it all its procedures and policies. An example of this would be Marriot International. It has been one of the Fortune 100 best companies to work with for two decades. A workplace culture’s employee ratings are behind the ranking. It includes a friendship with the leaders, honour and respect for the job and faith in the leaders. Its founders believe that if you take care of your associates and employees, they will take care of the guest, and the guest will return again and again. Please refer to the list of 100 best companies to work for in 2021 for more such examples.
3. Logo : Corporate identity’s most graphic component is the logo. As a visual descriptor of the company, a logo should allow it to be recognized at first glance. Check out the logos of your favourite companies/brands and find out if there is an interesting story behind their inception. Here are some famous logos and the stories behind them.
4.Typography : Typography proves that written words’ shape, weight, spacing and style can be very informative. Even before reading, words can be graceful and luxurious, daring and imposing, warm and affectionate. The typography appears on presentations, office stationery, signages, emails and social media. The typography must be legible and unambiguous and works across all print and digital platforms. Check out this link on Brand Typography for some examples.
5. Imagery : A powerful component of corporate identity is imagery. The experience that illustrations and photography are imageries that represent the essence of an organization. For example, Air BnB uses pictures of various destinations and Lego use pictures of toys.
6. Style Guidelines/Brand Guidelines : These are called Corporate Identity manuals. Guidelines must specify the time and way of using various visual assets. A style guide or manual of style is a set of standards for writing, formatting and design of documents. It is essential to consider every placement. E.g. email banners, social media, cover images, email signatures, business cards and letterheads. Refer to this link for examples of brand style guides.
7. Website : The hub of any new-age business ecosystem is the website. It is a centre for the company’s product information and content. It is the only place on the web where companies have complete control. Most of a company’s customers end up at the website while shopping. Refer to Sony’s company website and the world’s best corporate websites.
8. Social media : Social media channels are behind websites in the order of critical online platforms. A company’s social media channels should convey a consistent corporate image. Check out the social media handles of your favourite brands.
9. It is crucial to address offline materials like packaging despite the enthusiasm for online materials for merchandise, physical items, or marketing collaterals like flyers, mugs, lenses, etc. They must align with the rest of the Corporate Identity elements.
10. Colour palette : According to the study, “impact of colour on marketing”, 90% of customers immediately judge based on colour. Selecting a colour palette for companies is an essential step for the company to build a corporate identity. For example, McDonald’s uses red and yellow
“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job, because a lazy person will find a easy way to do it.”
Bil Gates.
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