The corporate identity of a business or corporation is defined as it’s “persona” . It is the manner in which the corporation as a whole – rather than any particular product – is perceived. Identity design is based around the visual devices used within a company, and are usually set up within a set of guidelines. These guidelines make up an identity usually administer how the identity is applied through a variety of mediums using select colour, fonts, layouts etc.
The identity of a brand/organisation is made up of many visual elements:
- A logo
- Stationery
- Marketing Collateral
- Products and Packaging
- Apparel Design
- Signage
- Messages and actions
- Outh communications
- Anything that visually represents the brand.
A Corporate identity is the visual aspects of a company’s presence. This should not be confused for Brand image. Brand image is the totality of consumer perceptions about the organisation or brand, which may not coincide with the brand identity.
A corporate identity benefits a company in many ways, such as giving a sense of culture or personality to the brand. Above all it helps the company be recognisable amongst the target audience. This customer awareness will increase the company’s competitive edgy.
The corporate identity needs to align with the brand identity, which is how the company wants the brand to be seen. It is worth mentioning that the brand identity naturally lends itself to incorporating the culture, goals and objectives of the company. The way in which a customer actually perceives the brand is called brand image.
Reinforce your brand personality at every point of contact with a consistent corporate identity. Strong branding helps customers successfully identify your company among others. Once a corporate identity is created, guidelines should be provided for how the brand should be represented. This ensures consistency on various mediums.