What is corporate identity?

Contrary to popular belief, the term ‘corporate identity’ refers to more than just the design of a company's logotype and stationery — it is a blanket-term that refers to the particular way that an organisation presents itself and interacts with its staff and public. An organisation’s identity is the sum total of its history, beliefs, environment and visual appearance (stationery, architecture, uniforms, signage, website, brochures etc.) and is shaped by the nature of its technology, its ownership, its people, its ethical and cultural values and its strategies.

The principle can be better understood with the help of an analogy: the way that you walk; the clothes you wear; the style of your hair; the car you drive; the words you use and the manner in which you meet and deal with people are all expressions of your personality. Collectively, they are your identity. Now, apply this principle to an organisation and all should become clear.

Why an organisation's identity is important

Thomas Peters & Robert Waterman, in their definitive study of America’s best run companies, ‘In Search of Excellence’, conclude that every ‘excellent’ company they analysed is guided by a clear sense of shared values and identity, and has a strong sense of purpose and direction (beyond mere survival). T J Watson, another author of works considered to be essential reading for students of management studies, believes that technological and economic resources, organisational structure, innovation and timing all weigh heavily in corporate success, but that the most important single factor in such success is faithful adherence to a sound set of beliefs on which a company can base its policies and actions.

When a company is new or small, or both, its identity spontaneously emerges as a direct extension of the founder’s personality, but as an organisation grows and becomes more complex, the corporate personality (its ‘identity’) can easily become uncoordinated, confusing and weak under the conflicting influences of the various factions that control its growth. It is the task of an identity consultant to identify and define the organisation’s spirit and drive, and then give substance to it by embodiment into a visible system of identification that is in keeping with the marketing and positioning objectives of the corporate strategy. Thus everyone — public, customers and staff alike — see a unified picture of purpose, direction and belief in a mission.

Identity management

A strong visual identity system used haphazardly is not nearly as effective as a weak one used consistently. The use of any visual identity system demands as much careful planning and control as its conception if it is going to be effective.

Every item of stationery; every sign, uniform, website and brochure says something about the organisation whose name it bears and if different items are designed by different people, there is a danger that they will give out conflicting messages, albeit on a subconscious level. If this happens, the organisation’s image can become weak and diluted.

This is why the giants of the commercial world take the extreme measures they do to ensure that everything that bears their name looks ‘just so’ and fits in exactly with their visual identity system. It is just this sort of presentation policy that helps these companies to become giants in the first place!

Once a visual identity system is designed and agreed upon, it is wise to make sure that everything bearing the company name has its graphics designed or updated by someone who understands the marketing objectives of the original designer, and who will not add their own artistic interpretation on a whim, in a manner that changes the ethos of the principal message.

Having said that; identity systems should be regularly and professionally reviewed and if necessary, brought up-to-date or modified to suit changes of market climate or corporate strategy.