Corporate Identity: Why It Matters

Today, competition between companies has gone far beyond the rivalry in production volumes and technology race. Progress has led companies to produce almost identical products in different areas, differing from each other only by insignificant trifles.

So how do manufacturers win customers’ hearts? Corporate identity is the answer! It is important not just to offer quality goods or services, it is important to distinguish them against the background of the mass of competitors.

What is a corporate identity?

Corporate identity is a fairly broad concept that includes a considerable number of parts. So, the corporate identity is the unity of the elements that identify the affiliation of everything on which the elements (goods, communication messages, etc.) are placed to a particular company and distinguish it from its competitors.

In addition, corporate identity allows the company to form its own brand, being a means of image formation. Summing up the interim result, on the one hand, the style of the company ensures the unity of all goods or services produced, and on the other hand, it distinguishes products from those produced by competing companies and protects them from counterfeit.

As mentioned above, the corporate identity consists of a set of elements, the main ones are as follows:

1. Trademark. It implies a unique designation that allows you to individualize products so that the consumer can distinguish them from similar products from other manufacturers.
2. Logo. This is a trademark form, a specific symbol, or inscription. As well as any of the elements of the corporate style, it expresses the individuality of the enterprise.
3. The corporate block is a combination of a number of traditional style elements that are used most often.
4. Corporate slogan – a kind of motto of the company, reflecting its philosophy, goals of the activity.
5. Branded colors. Each company chooses its own set of colors, which is used to create a logo, trademark, as well as often in any way associated with a characteristic feature of the company.
6. The corporate font set is a way to uniquely display text in the company’s corporate style media.

Putting all these parts together, the company begins to stand out from the competition, attracting new customers. It is only necessary to correctly use everything that relates to the elements of corporate identity in a promotion. It is important to correctly place them on everything that determines the image of the company: products, uniforms of employees, vehicles, etc. Corporate identity should also be created on the basis of the sphere in which the company operates.

There are many examples of companies that have failed due to the neglect of this important part of the business.

Among other things, the style of the entire company largely determines the style of its leader. Many successful companies have become so, thanks to the charisma of the person who heads it. So, once it was, for example, Steve Jobs, who fell in love with buyers not only with Apple products but also with himself, becoming an idol for a huge number of people all over the world. Today, the world is conquered by Ilon Mask, because not everyone dares to turn the launch of a space rocket into a show, placing the car instead of a dummy, right?

Corporate identity today is perhaps the determining factor in the company’s success in the market. From its proper formation depends on how well the company will interact with partners and customers. Corporate identity enhances the competitive advantages and effectiveness of the propaganda campaign. It is for these reasons that it is important to treat its creation with a particular responsibility.

Ilya Lavrov

I’m a product and graphic designer with 10-years background. Writing about branding, logo creation and business.