Do you have (corporate) ID?
Identity these days is huge. From ID required to buy a bottle of your favorite white merlot; to credit card companies and the endless threat of identity theft; to employee ID badges, we see it everywhere. Don’t think business management is left behind. Corporate identity has become essential in our culture’s saturated state of media abundance. I know you’ve heard about it, but do you really know what it is? It’s far more than a pretty logo design. It’s everything you do and say to represent your brand and secure its own identity. It’s assuring that, at a glance, prospects not only know who you are, but know what you stand for. How is it done?
First, we break it down. Corporate Identity is composed of three parts: Corporate Design (logos, colors, fonts, etc.), Corporate Communication (integration, public relations, advertisements, information, etc.), and Corporate Behavior (internal values, norms, etc.)
A well-designed corporate identity combines elements of each and can serve as an organization’s “persona” which is designed in accord with business objectives, and is executed by way of branding. Generally, this is created with a strategic logo design, along with supporting marketing collateral that is assembled and communicated within the parameters of the original design scheme. This, let’s call it creative strategy, exists as a set of guidelines to govern how the identity is presented to the world by means of consistent, designated color palettes, fonts, page layouts, copy writing, and any other feasible methods for maintaining visual continuity and brand recognition across all physical manifestations of the brand.In other words, the creative strategy amounts to this: eat, sleep, breathe, think, and live it in everything you do. (For instance, I want the leaf of approval tattooed on my forearm - now that’s love!)
The point is this: a great logo is a must have… solid information is crucial… but if you can’t tie it all together to communicate your message with synergy, then you may be missing the boat.
You’ve got it, so flaunt it… you know what you’ve got, but you need to let others know. Ask of your brand, “who are we, where do we want to go, and how do we want to get there?” Then find a way to make people recognize it. Isn’t it nice to have someone tell you that it’s ok to show off a little?!
Kate