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A corporate identity is a visual image of a company that should attract the attention of a buyer who has long been accustomed to all modern types of advertising. This means that creating a high-quality corporate identity is not an easy task and requires immersion in all the subtleties of this process. In this article, you will find out how to avoid mistakes and create a unique and memorable brand identity.
Brand Strategy
Your corporate identity is a tool to help you implement your brand strategy. A strategy is a detailed plan that clearly states what you are trying to achieve and by what methods. The branding style of the company, together with the content strategy, helps to communicate with the consumer in such a way as to achieve these goals quickly and efficiently.
Before diving into the development of the corporate identity of your brand, it is important to have a fully thought out strategy, positioning, clearly understand the key values of your brand, its mission, vision, brand language, and key communications. Since the future corporate identity will work in tandem with these elements.
With a clear brand strategy approved by management, you can focus on building your brand identity.
Do a thorough research
When you start developing a brand and corporate identity, you want to approach each stage from a philosophical and extremely critical point of view, to study in detail and get to the very essence of your brand. There is a lot of research to be done before diving into design. Yes, this is the most time-consuming step. Your goal at this stage is to gather as much information as possible about who you are trying to communicate with, who your competitor is, and where your brand is currently located.
– Study your audience, their preferences, lifestyle – your brand must resonate with the values and expectations of the audience.
– Research your competitors – it is very important to understand which niches for positioning, which color palettes and communication strategies are already taken, which ones remain vacant, and which ones may be most effective for you.
– Study your own brand and product as seen by company employees and target audience. Determine what are your main advantages, values, mission, vision, reasons to trust your brand, what is the language of your brand, etc.
The name of the company
It all starts with a name because nothing in our life can exist without its own name – not the state, not the film, not the bakery or cleaning company. Otherwise, how will you be identified? If you don’t have a name, then it is simply impossible to promote your brand. The registered name is one of the key elements in brand promotion. It helps the client to distinguish the products and services of one company from the similar products or services of another. Bright, memorable and unique – this should be the name so that no one confuses it.
The logo
The logo is essentially the emblem of the company. It is the main means of identification. After all, we define the manufacturer not by the form, but by the logo. A logo is the most meaningful and at the same time laconic graphic or text element of the corporate identity, which creates a visual image of the company and helps to attract customers. The logo should be recognisable and eloquent, and it is desirable to convey the essence of your business.
Colour scheme
When you have clear visuals, start experimenting with colours. A good colour palette is clean and flexible, giving the designer enough choice to be creative without overwhelming.
Typically, a brand’s palette includes one base corporate colour, two complementary colours, 3 to 5 auxiliary colours, and up to 2 accent colours.
Your colour scheme can call up different associations among consumers, so it is very important to choose a suiting combination that correctly conveys the message of your company.
Attributes and graphics
Now let’s move on to the cornerstone of a corporate identity that combines all the above. Of course, we talk about business cards, letterheads, envelopes, outdoor advertising, souvenirs, personalised bean bags and other delights. After all, you will be identified thanks to it, especially at first, while your reputation has not yet been formed.
And you also need to think about the slogan, develop a design that will not make potential customers want to rip out their eyes. And most importantly, everything should be clear. You can, of course, put on a business card a painting “Hallucinogenic Toreador” by Salvador Dalí, write a middle name, phone number on the reverse side and believe that your wit will attract a stream of customers. But, most likely, it will cause confusion.
In order to form an adequate corporate identity and, therefore, style-forming graphics, it is better to turn to professionals.
Common Mistakes
Often, when creating a brand identity, entrepreneurs make several common mistakes. It’s either chasing the latest branding trends or underestimating the importance of styling your business.
In the first case, you can get a style that absolutely does not correspond to the company, in addition, it can cost a lot of money and, most likely, will not bring the desired result. Therefore, it is best to highlight those special qualities of your product or services that should be succinctly emphasised by elements of identity and build on this when choosing a colour, font, etc.
In the second case, many people think that corporate identity is the privilege of large companies, and they do not need it. Despite the fact that this opinion is quite common, this is not at all a reason to abandon the idea of identity. It will help any company to look more presentable in front of potential clients or partners.
Conclusion
In a rapidly changing business, in which manufacturers and product lines are dynamically updated, it is very important to declare your individuality. As in any other area, image is everything. The external image creates a unique brand, which contributes to increasing recognition and reputation. It is important to choose symbols that will relate to the company and evoke a direct association with it. And everything you do must be consistent with the same style.
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