Corporate style of the enterprise. Corporate style of the company. Where is corporate identity used?

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Introduction

Currently, in order to strengthen market positions, as well as successful economic development, in a highly competitive environment, trading enterprises need to have their own special, corporate identity. This factor is dominant, it plays a huge role in the life of the enterprise, and also determines the direction of its activities.

To get the right impression from consumers about the company, you need not only a certain marketing strategy, but also something that defines the uniqueness of the organization. This uniqueness is achieved by creating a corporate identity, which is a rather long and laborious process at the development stage. It is the end result of this process that is a direct reflection of the company's image.

The formation and use of corporate identity is certainly relevant today, since this aspect is the basis of the marketing policy of any successful modern company. It allows the organization to find and also take its place in the market among many competing enterprises.

Thus, in combination with such factors as high quality and affordable price of products, corporate identity contributes to the confident promotion of the brand, increasing its recognition and consumer interest in the goods it produces.

The purpose of the course work is to analyze the formation and improvement of the corporate identity of the organization on a specific example of the company-retailer "Sportmaster".

Disclosure of the concept of corporate identity;

definition of goals and objectives for the formation of the corporate identity of the organization;

Determination of corporate style elements;

analysis of the formation of corporate identity on the example of a particular enterprise;

Formulation of a conclusion based on the analysis of all of the above.

The subject of the study is the corporate identity of the organization.

The object of the study is the specificity of the corporate identity of the company "Sportmaster".

Corporate style of the organization: concept, components and functions

Corporate identity is one of the most modern and relevant types of advertising. It is considered by many researchers as a special type of marketing communications.

Corporate identity is understood as a set of certain elements (color, graphic, acoustic, video, etc.) that provide visual and semantic unity of the company's goods and services, and also help to improve their recognition and perception by consumers.

The definition of corporate identity can be interpreted depending on the meaning that sets the direction for the content of the concept. In a broad sense, corporate identity is understood as the process of using uniform design principles, color combinations and images for all forms of advertising (in the media) of business papers, various types of documentation, office, product packaging, and sometimes employees' clothing. In a narrow sense, corporate identity should be spoken of as a combination of characteristics of a trademark and its use in the design of business papers and advertising messages.

Based on the definition, it can be concluded that the purpose of corporate identity is to form positive emotions in the minds of consumers associated with the assessment of quality products, a high level of service and providing the organization's products, as well as the organization itself with excellent recognition.

Thus, corporate identity acts as a guarantor of the high quality of goods and services, as it indicates the confidence of its owner in the positive effect that it has on the consumer.

In the life of an organization, corporate identity performs the following important functions:

1. image function. Formation and support of a quickly recognizable, original and attractive image of the company, which helps to increase its prestige and reputation. The positive perception of the company by the target audience is transferred to its products. Many people find the quality of well-known branded products far superior to anonymous products and are willing to pay more for them.

2. identifying function. Corporate identity helps to identify products and advertising, indicates their connection with the company and their common origin.

3. differentiating function. Selection of goods and advertising of the company from the total mass of similar ones. It is a certain "information carrier" and helps the consumer navigate the flow of goods and advertising, facilitates the selection process.

At the stage when the corporate identity of a particular enterprise has already been formed in the minds of the target audience, it already gives its preference to the logo, color, font that were previously known to it, have been preserved in memory as a special advertising message that stands out from the general advertising noise created by competitors. Thus, corporate identity allows the company to expand the number of potential buyers, winning their interests in its favor. At the same time, corporate identity increases the effectiveness of advertising and allows an organization to bring its new products and services to market at a lower cost. Also, corporate identity is the creator of new thinking and corporate spirit of the company, it unites employees and positively affects the visual, aesthetic environment of the company.

Thus, corporate identity can be called one of the main means of forming a positive image of the company.

The corporate identity system includes the following main elements:

Trademark;

Logo;

Corporate block;

Corporate slogan (slogan);

Corporate range of colors;

Corporate set of fonts;

Other proprietary constants.

1. Trademark: a fundamental element of corporate identity is a trademark (trademark, service mark). A trademark is a designation registered in accordance with the established procedure, which serves to distinguish the goods of one enterprise from the similar goods of other enterprises. This designation can be expressed in pictorial, verbal, three-dimensional, sound form, and also be a combination of all of the above. A trademark performs a very important function for a company - it protects the product from unfair competition, and also establishes the legal priority of the trademark user.

Relations arising in connection with the legal protection and use of trademarks and appellations of origin of goods are regulated by the Law of the Russian Federation of September 23, 1992 N 3520-1 (as amended on December 11, 2002, as amended on December 24, 2002) "On Trademarks, service marks and appellations of origin.

There are five main types of trademarks: verbal, pictorial, three-dimensional, sound, combined.

A verbal trademark -- can be registered in both standard and original graphic design. If a verbal trademark is registered in the original font (graphic) spelling, then it is called a logo. For example: "IKEA", "Adidas", "DELL", etc.

Logo - an original graphic style (specially designed or selected from existing fonts) of the full or abbreviated name of an enterprise or product group.

A figurative trademark is an original drawing, the emblem of the company. For example, the capital letter "M" of the company "McDonald" s, the shamrock of the company "Adidas", etc.

A three-dimensional sign is a sign in the three-dimensional dimension in the form of a three-dimensional object, figure, combination of lines. As a rule, these are voluminous original packaging of goods: bottles, vials, boxes, as well as the forms of the products themselves. For example, a stylized bottle of Coca-Cola.

A sound trademark is a registered mark in the form of various melodies, noises, and sounds. Such a trademark is typical for radio stations and television companies (for example, the introductory melody on the Mayak radio station).

Combined trademarks are combinations of the above types (most often they are combinations of words and images).

2. Corporate block: this next corporate identity element is a combination of several corporate identity elements (two or more than two), often used in advertising practice. Most often it is a figurative trademark (emblem) and a logo. For example, three connected rhombuses and the inscription of the company "Mitsubishi" - its corporate block. The corporate block must be distinguished by its originality, aesthetics, be well remembered, noticeable, easy to read, and must also be transmitted without changes and distortions on all media.

3. Corporate slogan (slogan): a slogan is a phrase, the motto of a certain company, under which it carries out its advertising activities. The purpose of the slogan is to convey the main idea of the company in a bright, original and figurative form. In this case, the slogan becomes a direct reflection of the uniqueness and specificity of any organization, forming an idea about it among consumers and distinguishing it from competitors. Unlike a trademark, a slogan is both a visual and audio image of the company, which gives it exceptional significance. A successful slogan organically fits into the corporate identity of the owner, harmonizes with other style elements, is short, sonorous, rhythmic, and memorable. Many successful brand slogans live for decades.

Thus, the slogan becomes an important component of corporate identity.

4. Corporate color scheme: the combination of different colors is also an integral element of corporate identity. This element plays a significant role in brand recognition. This can be easily seen in the example of many well-known companies. Their advertisements stand out from the crowd and remain in memory. Examples of the most memorable corporate colors are PEPSI red, white and blue, Nestle white and red, and BMW black, white and blue. The corporate color should convey certain information to the consumer about the product, evoke specific associations with the activities of the company, its image and products, and also reflect the idea of corporate style. In this regard, when choosing corporate colors, it is important to study the emotional impact and associations that this or that color causes in potential buyers.

In the corporate style, multicolor is undesirable, if this is not due to the specifics of the business. A good corporate identity usually contains no more than two colors. This is due to the following:

Mixing many colors contributes to poor perception and in some cases irritation;

Color rendering problems on different media;

A corporate color may also have legal protection in the event of a corresponding trademark registration in this color. However, it should be noted that if a trademark is applied for in color, it will only be protected in that color. When registering a mark in black and white, it is protected when reproduced in any color.

5. Corporate font set: brand font, as well as colors can significantly affect the perception of products by consumers. A font can have a different character for consumer perception: “adult” or “childish”, “masculine” or “feminine”, “light” or “heavy”, “elegant” or “rough”, etc. Therefore, the main task of corporate identity developers is to find their own, individual font that could match the image of the brand. In addition, the selected font must have the following qualities:

Maximum simplicity;

Good clarity and readability;

Visibility of the font from afar.

6. Other corporate constants: corporate identity may include other style-forming elements that are constantly used in the communication area of the company and play an important role in shaping its image. One of these elements may be a company logo that has not received legal protection and is not a trademark. Also, corporate identity elements can be called corporate design features, corporate identity carriers (business documentation, printing publications, and others), interior design elements, branded clothing, and so on. Business documentation includes: letterhead, letterhead, envelopes, business cards, order form, forms of internal business documents of department heads, symbolic images of types of services.

Printing publications include: a poster, an advertisement in the press, a prestigious brochure, gift calendars. TV graphics - TV screensaver, clips, TV commercials and a number of other elements.

The elements of corporate identity in the interior include: colors, design and phytodesign elements, office furniture and equipment. An element of corporate identity, a company symbol can be a corporate hero. It can be a person, a cartoon character, an animal, etc. A corporate hero allows you to highlight the company, convey the main features of its image, and make it more understandable.

Sometimes a constant communicator (“face of the company”) can be used as an element of corporate identity. Unlike a corporate hero, this is a real person, a specific person or a celebrity.

Certain internal company standards can also be elements of branding. In addition, it can be corporate etiquette, communication style, clothing style (dress code) and much more.

Thus, it should be noted that corporate identity includes a large number of elements, each of which performs its own unique function in shaping the company's image. It is the combination of high-quality and professionally designed corporate identity components that is the key to a stable and leading position of the company in the market.

The corporate style of an enterprise can be compared with a civil passport or an identification mark. Combining all the information about the business, including external and semantic content, characterizing its internal and external structure, corporate identity becomes a real business card of any company.

A well-designed corporate identity helps to remember the company and its products in the ranks of consumers. Therefore, a well-formed corporate identity works better than any advertising company.

The main components of corporate identity

The main components of corporate identity are considered to be the name of the company, logo, trademark, brand of goods, color when designing the name of the company, slogan.

Each of them performs its function.

The name of the company plays an important role in the future fate of the business. No wonder they say, "whatever you call a ship, so it will sail." Therefore, already when drawing up a business plan, it is important to take this point into account and give it enough attention.

The name should be short, sonorous and memorable by ear. This has a positive effect on the promotion of the enterprise and works when using this method of advertising as word of mouth. When choosing a name, it is important to keep in mind the activities of the company. For example, if an enterprise provides dismantling services, it can be called "Gouging service". Such an original, and at the same time humorous name will quickly be remembered among consumers of dismantling services, which means it will serve as additional advertising for the company.

The logo is a graphic representation of the business, the so-called sign. When creating it, the main requirement is visual memorability and semantic clarity. As a rule, the logo reflects the name of the company or its type of activity. For example, the logo of the Eldorado chain of household appliances stores is a plug of electrical appliances.

A trademark distinguishes a company's products from other offerings on the market. Only in the presence of a trademark can we talk about creating a brand for a trademark. Naturally, the trademark declares the group and the quality of the company's products. For example, Nike's trademark logo - a feather, speaks of the lightness of this manufacturer's sportswear. Although in general it may resemble a skate or stick, which once again reminds you, this is a sign of sportswear.

Many mistakenly consider a logo and a trademark to be the same. This is a wrong belief. The logo comes from the English word "Logo", which translates as "word". Therefore, a corporate logo must necessarily contain words or an abbreviation.

According to the current legislation of the Russian Federation, a trademark is subject to mandatory registration. Evidence of the fulfillment of this requirement is the presence of the letter R (registered) near the trademark.

A trademark helps promote a company's products. It is allowed to be applied both to the product itself and to the packaging. Due to the lack of commercial literacy, domestic enterprises often refuse to use a trademark, which, first of all, causes enormous damage to the image of the enterprise in the eyes of the buyer.

In addition to all of the above, corporate identity also forms a corporate block. This definition implies an alliance between a trademark and a logo. The main criterion for compiling a corporate block is its understanding and readability.

A good example in this area is the Beeline corporate block, which, in addition to the logo, shows the body of a bee. We remind you that the word Beeline comes from two English words - bee line, which in translation into Russian means the line of a bee.

The next component of corporate identity is the slogan. This is an advertising slogan, which experts consider the main engine of goods and services to the masses. When compiling a slogan, it is important to observe the basic rule - brevity. According to the established norms, the advertising slogan should not contain more than seven words. It is desirable that it be framed in rhyme, such as: “Gillette, there is no better for a man!”

conclusions

Creating a corporate identity at the enterprise helps to increase demand for its products and promote its goods and services. On average, it takes 10-12 months to create a high-quality corporate identity. This time is enough to check the quality of the enterprise. Offers such as “I will help you quickly design a corporate block for a fee” or “I will create a corporate identity in 1-2 months” are pure scam. That's why you shouldn't buy them.

In the face of growing competition between companies and brands, the need to create a unique, memorable image for the consumer, to stand out from the background of rivals is increasing. High-quality corporate style contributes to the solution of these problems. Development of a unique corporate identity is a complex and responsible process. All elements of the corporate identity of the enterprise must correspond to its mission and positioning.

The concept of corporate identity

Identification of the company is the most important marketing task, which is the key to recognition and stable demand for goods and services. It is the elements of corporate identity that make it possible to achieve recognition of the company and its products among competitors.

Corporate identity, or corporate identity, is the individual image of the company, its character, which is easily recognized by people. It is a component of a holistic, well-thought-out communication of an organization and assumes that all the main elements of corporate identity will be made in a single concept, placed on all products, documentation and attributes of the company, so that the consumer can easily identify the manufacturer by any of its components. The concept of corporate identity is formed in marketing, as it serves the tasks of promoting the company.

emergence

We can talk about the first signs of corporate identity by considering ancient cultures. So, in the tombs of Ancient Egypt, products with a unique author's pattern were found, which allowed the ceramics of a certain artisan to stand out from a number of other similar products. Elements of corporate identity were also found on the works of pottery, jewelry, weaving in ancient Greece. In the Middle Ages in Europe, each guild of craftsmen had their own distinctive signs, which also began to be placed on signs and buildings. Even bakers and winemakers put brands on their products. In the 19th century, the first law on the registration and protection of trademarks was passed in Britain. Later, trademark patents appeared in the United States, and only then around the world. Today, more than 50 thousand signs are registered in the States alone.

In Russia before the revolution, as in all of Europe. the hallmarks of the masters were adopted, for example, a famous jeweler put a special seal on each of his works, confirming the authenticity of the thing. During the Soviet era, the need for a corporate identity practically disappeared, since there was no free competition in the country. Although the identity existed even then, for example, the corporate font for writing the names of the newspapers Izvestia and Pravda is recognizable today. After perestroika, Russia began to rapidly catch up with developed countries in

Functions

The corporate identity has a number of marketing functions that make it such a significant component of the development and promotion of the company. The main one is the identification of the organization. Slogans, logos and other corporate identity elements are needed so that the consumer quickly and easily understands which manufacturer's product is in front of him. Moreover, recognition should occur when any of the components of the corporate identity and even its parts are perceived. For example, Coca-Cola's branded melody in New Year's television commercials is recognized by the first notes, and the consumer can easily not only remember the name of the manufacturer, but also continue the song from anywhere.

Next to recognition comes such a function as differentiation. In saturated, highly competitive markets, there is an acute problem of detuning from similar goods and services. The psychology of the consumer is such that in each product category he usually remembers from 3 to 7 items, and it is in this range that he makes his purchasing choice. Therefore, the task of corporate identity is to make a product, company or service different from competitors. For example, in the juice market of the middle price category, there is a fierce struggle for the consumer, the quality of goods and packaging are very similar for different manufacturers, and the buyer most often makes a choice based on the positioning that he learned about from advertising. And united visual elements help to link the commercial and, for example, juice packaging into an associative chain. Therefore, corporate identity elements in the company's advertising must be present.

Each communication between the manufacturer and the buyer should contribute to the memorization of these unique signs, which are then recognized at the level of automatism at the time of purchase. And when a person walks past a long juice counter in a store, he will choose a package with familiar signs that he associates with the manufacturer.

The most important function of corporate identity is the formation and maintenance of the company's image. Today, more and more often, when choosing a product, a consumer is guided not by its objective characteristics, but by his own ideas about it. Therefore, the task of forming a positive image of the product and the company becomes paramount. The image is built on such basic elements as the company's mission, its advantages and positioning.

The task of marketing communications is to create a stable image in the consumer's head from a set of certain qualities that will arise in him every time he encounters elements of corporate identity. The consumer is willing to pay more for a product about which he knows a lot, and about which he has his own (as it seems to him) opinion. A familiar product is more trustworthy. And it is the image that becomes the main source of surplus value. But today, in the general pursuit of positive images of their goods and services, the problem of creating a unique image is acute, and a competent corporate identity helps to solve it.

Components

The main elements of corporate identity are: logos, trademarks or service marks, corporate block, slogans or text signs, color and font, corporate character, corporate sound. All these elements should be united by a common idea - the positioning platform and the mission of the company. A corporate identity should be developed based on the ideological platform of the brand. Only by understanding the specifics of the company, its advantages and goals, it is possible to develop an effective corporate identity.

Corporate identity benefits

Corporate identity development is a rather expensive and serious undertaking. Why waste money, energy and time on it? Corporate identity makes it easier for the consumer to choose and make a purchase. Formed recognition helps to distinguish the product from competitors. An effective corporate identity facilitates the task of bringing the product to the market, reducing advertising costs. The mission and corporate identity work to form a corporate spirit within the company, and loyal employees are always a valuable asset of the organization. Also, the stylish design of documents, places of work, corporate clothing increases the prestige of the company in the eyes of both customers and employees.

Corporate identity is a unifying principle for all marketing activities, it makes disparate events unified. Due to this, the consumer connects all the advertising messages of the company into a single information field. This synergistic effect increases the effectiveness of all communications.

Service mark

All corporate identity elements will be built around the company name. Therefore, the trademark is extremely important for the image of the company. A service mark (or trademark) is a specific legalized spelling of a company's name. It has been a symbol of guarantee and quality since the time of the ancient masters. The organization through the sign broadcasts its reputation to the product, vouches for it. There are several types of service marks:

Verbal. The most common, fixes the legal rights of the owner to the name. There are a lot of examples of such signs: Aeroflot, Mercedes.

Pictorial or visual. A special style of the name, it is often synonymous with the logo.

Volume. The shape of the packaging or the product itself can also be patented and is a sign of a particular manufacturer. For example, the famous glass bottle of Coca-Cola.

Sound. Some companies, due to their specifics, may record sound marks that are associated with its activities. For example, the call signs "Radio Beacon" or the click of a Zippo lighter. Today there is a tendency to register the sound elements of the corporate identity of the company, which are assigned to it by law. The firms Nestle, Danone and others follow this path.

Logo

The concept of corporate identity, the elements of which work to identify the company, is often reduced to one, the main component - the logo. It is indeed an important component of the image of the company, but not the only one. The logo is the original inscription of the name of the company, brand, product group. It usually contains not only the name, but also some visual components that carry important semantics.

It is very important to understand that a logo is not just a beautifully written name - it is a schematic, simplified representation of the company's mission. For example, the famous Nike logo not only includes the inscription of the name, but also a curved line, which today is already a symbol of the brand and can sometimes be used even without letter accompaniment. The logo should “tell” the story of the brand. For example, Apple's famous apple has at least three corporate myths to explain its meaning. The main features of a good logo are simplicity, memorability and expressiveness.

Brand block

The arrangement of corporate identity elements for placement on documents, packaging and other media is called a corporate block. Its composition may vary depending on the needs of the company. Most often you can find a combination of a logo, slogan and address information, which is placed on the letterhead of the enterprise, envelopes, business cards. The combination of the name and logo is usually placed on packages and products. For example, the Adidas company places the logo and company name on its products, sometimes it is supplemented with the name of the line or series.

Corporate color

An important element of corporate identity is color. Psychologists have long understood that color has a strong connection with associations. There are whole tables of pairs "color - emotion". Of course, there may be individual differences in this matter, but colors really have an effect on our body and psyche. For example, red enhances arousal, increases heart rate and blood pressure, while green, on the contrary, relaxes and calms. Also, when choosing a corporate color, you need to remember the semantics assigned to it in a particular culture. For example, white is usually associated with light, purity, snow, milk. But in Japan, sadness and sadness are added to these characteristics, since this color is traditionally considered mourning.

When choosing a color, you also need to remember about combinations, about the rules of contrast and addition. So, the combination of black and yellow is one of the brightest, but at the same time it signals danger. Typically, corporate identity does not use more than three colors, so as not to create a variegation that is difficult to read and remember.

And the last thing to consider when choosing a color is the features of its transmission on different media. So, a complex combination of lilac and yellow-orange can be incorrectly transmitted by some printing machines.

Tagline

Corporate identity elements can be not only visual, but also verbal. A short catchy phrase-slogan is also a means of creating a corporate identity. It has a special task: it is not only a guarantee of recognition of the company, but also tells the consumer about the main advantage of the company, about its mission. For example, the slogan "Drive the dream" of a Toyota car has a deep meaning: dreams are manageable and achievable, our cars are everyone's dream. The slogan should convey a very large content in an extremely short form (no more than 7 words). Therefore, slogans are written by professionals - copywriters who are able not only to put together a biting phrase, but also to fill it with the necessary content.

The development of corporate identity elements should be based on the main idea, which becomes the starting point for the terms of reference for the copywriter. The slogan must be placed on all products of the organization, on documents, included in advertising messages, thereby ensuring the integrity of communication with the consumer, its semantic unity.

brand character

We have listed the main elements of corporate identity, however, there are additional, variable components, such as an anthem, a legend, layout and design features. Additional components of brand identity include a corporate character. A brand character is a fixed embodiment of the brand's features and mission in the person of a hero or a person. The corporate hero is usually used in advertising communications: commercials, printed samples, events. The character can embody a representative of the target audience or be an authority figure for her. Also, a corporate hero can visualize the best qualities of a product. For example, the detergent "Mr. Muscle" is associated with its name and is included in all types of advertising.

carriers

Elements of the corporate identity of the organization can be placed on various media. Typically, a company brands, i.e. places its logos on everything that the consumer can come into contact with. The main carriers of corporate identity elements are business cards, documents, envelopes, the organization's website, corporate uniform, promotional products, and souvenirs. In addition, corporate identity elements can be placed at points of sale and customer service, on banners, on gift products, on company vehicles. Also, corporate identity should be used to design presentation materials: folders, packages, racks, electronic presentations.

In this article, we will look at why corporate identity is important for a business, how to develop a good logo and corporate identity for a company, as well as what complexities and nuances the creation of a corporate identity involves, and how market leaders choose corporate identity design. Read on to learn more about this, as well as whether you can find a corporate identity template for your industry.

History of corporate identity

Form style quite a young direction in the world of commerce, although certain elements of corporate identity were common in ancient times. Nomadic peoples imposed their distinctive mark on cattle. Thus, the products of talented artisans were also celebrated. The Middle Ages are known for the emergence of guild corporate brands. But the first official designer who developed the corporate logo and corporate identity was Peter Behrens. The famous architect at the beginning of the 20th century worked as the artistic director of a German company. At that time, he developed the first artistic image of the organization in accordance with the norms of style formation. His project was important in shaping the activity in the field of product styling and ordering. Since the second half of the 20th century, a full-fledged marketing direction dedicated to corporate identity has been formed.

Why corporate identity is needed

The corporate style is the hallmark of the company, presented to the public. High-quality corporate identity is becoming the most important element in the successful promotion of their products and services.

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Corporate identity allows you to effectively solve a set of marketing tasks. Including the impact on the audience, competition and production management. The main task of the corporate style is the identification of the objects of the organization's activity, including goods, advertising, documents, etc.

At the same time, the task of corporate identity is not just to create a certain image, but also to form a certain ideal that will be valuable for the company's activities. Therefore, it will not be possible to spontaneously create an effective corporate identity. An artificially made style that does not take into account key characteristics will not be able to fully reflect the specifics of the organization, sometimes even leading to negative consequences.

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Therefore, it is necessary to work on the formation of a corporate identity from the moment the business is founded. After all, today it has become an important part of a civilized business. Of course, for banks or fashion houses, corporate identity may be required immediately after entering the market. But after all, for many companies in the public business, the presence of a corporate identity immediately after the foundation is not required - you can work on its gradual and comprehensive formation.

Corporate identity should reflect business strategies

Roxana Yanborisova, Vice President of OCS, Moscow

Maintaining a positive image, reputation and brand trust deserves special attention of the head of the company. That's why in corporate style it is necessary to present the external signs of the corporate image, reflecting the overall business strategy of the organization, its attitude to external and internal communications.

In our work, we take into account the considered features when creating a corporate identity. We have more than 12 years of experience in our industry, so we need to maintain long-term relationships with customers and business partners. We kept the corporate range in grey-orange shades. According to psychologists, this color option is optimal - reflecting the warmth of the sun, correctness, responsibility and positive emotions. An octopus was chosen as the main symbol - it has been with us since the very foundation of the company.

Corporate identity is needed, but not for everyone

Alexander Trapeznikov, an expert in increasing sales in small and medium-sized businesses

Not all companies need a corporate identity to increase sales. Its need depends on the specific goals. But not always the owner himself can realize the goals of the company. Typically, a corporate identity order is designed for complacency rather than commercial success.

The corporate identity itself is not at all a reason for a client to choose a particular company, since a logo cannot be a substitute for a well-established sales system, an effective USP and marketing. Of course, sometimes sales can be influenced by the color of the packaging or product, but not by the corporate identity itself.

A corporate identity and a logo are necessary when a solution to the problem of self-identification by external signs is required. In particular, corporate identity is less needed for b2b businesses compared to b2c. Indeed, in the first case, purchase decisions are made less emotionally.

At what stage should a business think about the formation of its style? You can order the development of a corporate identity with confidence if the company has built a sales system to receive a predictable and constant influx of customers - with a stable increase in income from current customers, in the absence of critical personnel problems, the company is not dependent on one large client, a key supplier, one successful manager.

When developing a corporate identity, for example, in case with the slogan, noteworthy is the fact that, ideally, it should reflect the USP of the company. In my opinion, the text on a letterhead is much more important than the letterhead itself. At the same time, the illumination and cleanliness of the sign are much more important than its color.

What is corporate identity

The main elements of corporate identity are:

1) Trademark. Requires mandatory registration. There are several types of trademark:

verbal - in the form of an exclusively font composition. This option accounts for 80% of all existing trademarks - for example, personal names, "Tinkoff", "Alenka", or invented names, "Xerox", "Kodak", abbreviations or numbers;
figurative - they account for no more than 5% of trademarks. Usually they are intended for individual professional activities - in the form of concrete or abstract images;
combined - combining both visual and text elements in different combinations. It is they who are in theory known as the logo;
volumetric - in the form of a three-dimensional image of a specific object that is directly related to the company. For example, a bottle of coca-cola;
various signs of a special kind - for example, light, sound effects, smells, etc.

2) A branded typeface, known as a logo. It is presented in the form of an original style - a corporate type inscription, which usually reflects the name of the product or company. Consists of 4-7 letters. Approximately 4 characters out of 5 are registered as a logo.

3) Slogan - a corporate slogan. It is the original design of the company. When compiling it, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of your target audience, organically complementing the corporate identity with a pronounced emotional coloring.

4) Corporate block - traditionally frequently used combinations of different elements of corporate identity.

5) Corporate color - for a serious emotional impact on the target audience.

6) Corporate set of fonts - emphasizes the different features of the image of the product. Because the audience perceives different fonts differently.

Corporate identity components:

Business Documents – including letterheads, business cards, elements, envelopes, graphics, postal and promotional files.

Souvenir products - in the form of notebooks, calendars, watches, badges and watches.

Printed POS products – including flyers, posters and catalogs.

Packaging design and labeling.

Design of show-windows, interiors, expositions.

Transport design.

Overalls.

Website design.

How to develop a corporate identity

Conduct consumer research. In order for the corporate style not to leave the audience indifferent, you need to understand it. To do this, it is important to study color preferences, consumer associations, their idealized ideas about the properties of the product that is optimal for themselves.

Contact a professional designer. When creating a corporate identity, the statement “the miser pays twice” is relevant. Often, improvements and changes in working with an amateur outweigh the “overpayments” to an excellent designer.

The choice of the simplest options. Multi-dimensional logos and complex overflows of tones become unacceptable options. A more preferable choice is in favor of as simple and unpretentious logos as possible, branded writing of the brand.

Testing the resulting corporate identity options with your target audience. To do this, you can organize several focus groups, with a survey of your customers. Comparing consumer verbal descriptions of an ideal campaign and a particular visual symbol is critical.

Testing corporate identity among company employees. An important, but not mandatory component is to study the opinion of specialists. If managers, salespeople, and other employees feel uncomfortable in the interior of the renovated store or don’t like the design of business cards, then the sales situation may noticeably worsen.

How to implement corporate identity

The success of corporate identity directly depends not only on the correctness of its observance. The importance is given to the quality and breadth of the corporate identity on the carriers of the company's image. The wider its use, the more the symbolism will be conveyed to a larger audience. But it is important to know the measure in compliance with the corporate style. Sometimes companies get too carried away with the process and put logos on rather unexpected things - for example, on the towel holder in the toilet. In this case, the effect will be rather doubtful.

The standard corporate identity implementation activities include the following factors:

Distribution of the order on compliance with the corporate style;

Distribution of internal explanatory letters regarding corporate identity;

Conducting trainings for secretaries;

Internal seminars on compliance with corporate style;

Office design, following the corporate style;

Production of corporate clothing for employees in the corporate style of the company;

Corporate registration of signboards and door plates;

Application of branded elements on the company's products;

Production of souvenir products with branded elements;

Advertising in the media using branded elements;

Corporate website with branded elements;

Application of corporate identity within the framework of exhibitions, conferences, special events.

With a successful presentation of the corporate identity, you can proceed to consolidate the result, including through outdoor advertising, media campaigns and special events.

Why you should avoid corporate identity templates and clichés

First-level associations should be discarded immediately. To learn how to think outside the box, practice your imagination with the following exercises:

1. Draw light without using bulbs, rays, sun or any light source;

2. Depict happiness without the use of people and smiles;

3. Draw the consistency.

Undoubtedly, the temptation to design a fashionable logo is huge. But you need to take into account that the identity is something that should pass through time, just periodically changing to meet modern requirements.

Is it possible to develop a corporate identity on your own?

The first is that it will be difficult and expensive to correct mistakes in the development of corporate identity in the future. Constant change will not suit a solid company. The best choice is a once-created corporate identity that can emphasize the features of the business. Over time, it will be possible to slightly correct and supplement it, but the basis should remain unchanged.

Second, you need to evaluate yourself. Can you analyze the essence of the company as correctly as possible, weaving together all the functionality with a psychological factor and unique "zest". Do all elements of the created style harmonize? To develop a corporate identity, you need not only knowledge in the field of your professional activity, but also basic skills in creating a style direction.

Thirdly, you need a subtle flair. At least to avoid stereotypes and clichés.

Information about the author and company

Roxana Yanborisova, Vice President of OCS, Moscow. OCS, a member of the National Computer Corporation (NCC), was founded in 1994. OCS is one of the largest general distributors in Russia and the undisputed leader in the distribution of telecommunications and network equipment.

Konstantin Karmanov, founder and owner of the Art Bureau advertising agency, Moscow. Art Bureau has been operating in the Russian advertising market since 1991. Currently, the agency provides a full range of services. Art Bureau is a full member of the Russian Association of Advertising Agencies, as well as a member of the American Chamber of Commerce. Among the agency's clients: Alfa-Bank, Rostelecom, Pharmacy Chain 36.6, LUKOIL, Sloboda, Moscow Cellular Communications.

Sergey Slavinsky, General Director of Coffee In branding agency, St. Petersburg. Coffee In is a branding agency. Specialization - the service sector. Provides advice on marketing, branding and advertising to Russian and international companies.