What defines the visual identity of a company? Corporate identity, of course.
What is corporate identity?
Corporate identity is a way to communicate with the world, a way to stand out from the competition and a way to attract your customers. The more distinct, recognizable, and memorable a corporate identity is, the more likely your company is to succeed. Here's how to get started, and what to consider to create a corporate identity that will help you achieve your goals.
The corporate identity is the visual image of a company, its style of communication, its name, that is to say a,ll the components of its image. For example, in the perfume industry, it is also perfume, in the music industry, it is sound, and in a fashion store, restaurant, and hotel, it is both the sound and scent. Here are 34 examples of where and how corporate identity is used in our article.
In order for all these elements to become a corporate identity and for all company employees to use them correctly – that is, to choose certain hues, typefaces and take into account important details – it is important create a single document with rules.
How to create a corporate identity?
You don't create a corporate identity in five minutes. It's not just about certain colors, logos and fonts. To create the visual identity that will distinguish your brand and contribute to the image of your company, it is important to approach the issue strategically. Build it with your team, get feedback from colleagues and customers, identify what sets you apart and make you stand out, rather than making them up without considering the business and competitors.
A corporate identity can be created in the free logo design, Turbologo.
How to create a visual identity that is organic to your business? We have identified five fundamental steps.
Define your business strategy
First, decide what you're creating and who you're doing it for, and what you're aiming for.
Goals
Think about where your business is today and what your goals are for the future. Perhaps you want to become a global company rather than a local one, choose a specific niche or, on the contrary, expand. Keep these points in mind when creating your corporate identity. If you determine your long-term plans now, it will be easier for you to prepare for changes in advance.
Hearing
To understand which corporate identity is best for you, it's important to remember who your audience is. After all, you set all these rules precisely to be recognizable to customers, not to please your boss.
Who are your current and ideal customers? What is their gender, age, where they live, their lifestyle, who do they work for and how do they spend their free time? A detailed client profile will help you decide on the elements of the visual identity. Young mothers are one thing, students are another. Each audience should be approached differently, each has different preferences, abilities and needs, and in defining these it is important to be clear about the audience. If you work for different groups of people – create multiple client portraits and choose the communication style that works for everyone.
Strategy
A strategy is a company's plan for achieving its goals. Define it before you start creating your corporate identity. It will then help you achieve your goal and properly convey your message to your audience.
Strategy – This doesn't have to be a ten-page detailed plan. You can identify the main points and include them in your presentation.
Gather company information
A corporate identity can be created from scratch. But it's much more organic if you take the things the company uses successfully as a baseline, then improve, add to, and update them. It's like with a capsule wardrobe – you can shop and buy dozens of new items, or you can take apart your wardrobe, choose your favorite items and create a new one based on them. It's warmer and more personal because you can create a look that matches your own personality.
To piece together your existing corporate identity, start with the following points.
History
The history of a company is the basis of its visual identity. The age, orientation and characteristics of a mark also determine its style. If the company is young and has no history, you have probably already invented a nice legend. We know that no one buys products and services, but rather service, history and atmosphere. 17 rules for an interesting story in our storytelling article.
At this stage, also write down adjectives that describe your business, such as: stable, reliable, experienced or friendly, informal. They will be useful for you to create your identity, whether you do it yourself or hire a professional.
Mission and values
A clear mission and values will also help you create the right image, or check that the existing image is in line with your company's ethics. For example, McDonald's changed the main color of its design from red to green to communicate a new sustainable image to customers. That doesn't mean that everyone immediately perceived the restaurant chain as eco-friendly. But with this change in visual identity, the company also drew attention to its new mission.
Interviews with employees and customers
To ensure that all elements of corporate identity not only work on paper but also in real life, you need to interview customers and employees. This will allow you to understand how they perceive your company's identity. If they understand what the brand has implemented.
Simple surveys are well suited for this purpose. For example, you can carry out a Google questionnaire and an Instagram survey. Since the second option is easier, you are likely to get more customer responses this way. But don't miss the opportunity to profit from the questionnaires either:
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