It is vital for any business to have a strong corporate identity. Corporate identity is similar to what we refer to when we talk about our own personal identities. It is all about what makes us unique and what makes us, well, us. Our identities are made up of our character, moral values, behaviour, and even our choice of clothing. Similarly, corporate identity speaks about the character and value system of the company, and the individuality and the image it wants to present.
Corporate identity design is very important, because it tells our potential customers more about the company. Usually the things through which we can express corporate identity include business cards, the logo, the colours, letterheads, advertising and promotional materials, and even, in some cases, the uniform that employees wear. These things give the company a physical expression of the brand, the culture, and the image of the business. They also tell your target market more about what sets you apart from your competition, and provides abstract incentives to motivate them to choose your business or brand over another.
In today’s highly competitive world, people have a multitude of choices about which brands and businesses to choose, and any business worth its salt will need a solid strategy that enables it to build a strong presence in the marketplace. The corporate identity helps to establish this presence and it helps your brand to stand out amongst other similar product or service providers. Other reasons why a strong corporate identity is essential include the following:
- Building a corporate persona: When we meet someone, we form an opinion of that person through cues that we gather from the way they are dressed, present themselves, or behave. Similarly, a company’s brand colours, logo, promotional materials, and even its name all allow people to form an opinion of the company. It is vital for the corporate identity design to create a favourable impression that truly represents the image and personality of the business or brand.
- Customer loyalty: Customers who find that the image of the brand or the corporate identity is similar to their own will inevitably feel more drawn to that brand and, because they feel more familiar with the brand through the common values expressed by the brand identity, customers are more likely to become repeat customers, which will increase customer loyalty overall. Studies have shown that a person is more likely to use a brand that they are familiar with than one that is new to them – even if they have never used either brand before! Strong corporate identity design can help your customers to better identify with your business to build a sense of familiarity, so your business can be chosen over another, again and again.
- Business strategy: While a corporate identity is very much a soft, or abstract, concept, it is still wise to strategise about how to bring the brand and the potential customer closer together through the non-abstract expression of the corporate identity, such as the business cards, logo design, and promotional materials. Good strategy is at the core of favourable consumer perception.
- Employee morale: No business can be run successfully if the people who work there do not share, or identify with, the corporate identity. If the business builds a strong corporate identity, it will attract employees who can identify with it and, as a result, they will have something in common with the business. Having common goals and believing in the identity of the company help boost the morale of employees, as they are all working for the common good of the company. If the identity strategy includes a strong focus on employee development and benefits, employee morale improves even more.
Corporate identity design is not just for new businesses. It is crucial to move with the times, and often existing businesses must dust off the stuffy old identity and evolve a new one, or just make small adjustments to the way the corporate identity is presented to the world. A professional business with a strong corporate identity design is what is needed. While it is possible to do the corporate identity design in-house, professionals from external agencies will usually do a better job, because they are not confined by internal views and politics of the company.
If you are looking for great corporate identity design, give our expert team at Softillion a call!