Can I just use fonts and stock photos?

Invest in custom-made assets for your visual identity – especially your logo. Avoid generic fonts and stock images that aren’t designed for your brand. Strategic assets allow you to control the look and feel of your brand more effectively.

We're a startup. Isn't branding low priority?

Branding matters even for a shoestring startup. Early years are a key time to establish your identity. Building blocks like your logo, colors, and fonts will benefit you as your company grows.

How often do we need to transform the corporate brand?

There’s no fixed timeline, but it’s generally wise to revisit your corporate identity every 5-10 years. Keep elements that are working and refresh what feels outdated. Small updates are often better than large changes, and your identity should evolve along with your brand.

What Is Corporate Identity Guideline?

Discover the importance of corporate identity for your brand. Learn how logos, colors, and fonts create a memorable identity that fosters trust, loyalty, and recognition.

So You Want To Develop A Great Company Image? Read This First

Are you one of those people who entered a store or ran an advertisement and knew the company immediately? That’s the power of good corporate brand. Your corporate identity is more than a logo – you are visually present at all levels.

In this article, let’s see what corporate identity is, why you need to have it in your business, and how to create a brand that works for you.

Let’s start!

What Is Corporate Identity?

Brand identity is your face.

Your logo, colors, fonts, photos, packaging, everything that’s visual to your brand.

It’s your company’s "look and feel".

Corporate identity is what instantly makes people know you as a brand. It is a unique touch of your logo, font, or colors and you’ll get noticed.

It is what distinguishes you and bonds with your readers.

So, you may want to choose the best graphic design agency for that.

Why Is Corporate Identity Important?

There are many reasons that your company brand is important:

It builds brand awareness. Visual consistency across all touchpoints boosts brand visibility and visibility. Customers see your logo and associate it with your name. Repetition of visuals is created for the brand.
It creates trust and loyalty. Common brand – It makes consumers feel comfortable. It establishes trust for your business and product. And this becomes a long-term brand retention.
It differentiates you. You are visually different than your competitors. It’s what you do to make a name for yourself in a market that is stacked high. Unique design — lands you the right customers.
It reflects your values. Your visual identity is your brand voice. Use colors, photos, and typography that express your brand image. It turns who you are into an avatar of your priorities.
It inspires action. Good Corporate identity makes your clients want to use your brand. Good design makes you feel and react.

See your brand as a business resource. The right way, it’s your best marketing arsenal.

What To Do To Build A Proven Company Brand?

The creation of a solid, united identity takes patience and thought. Follow these steps:

Choose Your Brand Personality

Pinpoint your brand personality first.

What do you wish to express? Trust? Excitement? Luxury? The brand character should come across in your visual identity.

Reconcile who you are with where you are located. Know your audience.

Your images should speak to your target customer.

Establish Your Core Elements

Begin with your logo, colors, fonts - the identity elements.

Logo - Choose a logo or name that people will remember. Consider scalability and versatility.

Colors - Limit your palette. Pick the colors that are complementary to your brand image. Be sure they are applications.

Typography - Pick 1-2 fonts. Choose readable, simple, unique fonts. Sans serifs work well.

These are the building blocks of your visual brand. Use them in all brand interactions.

Create Cohesive Imagery

Great art shows who you are.

Photo, illustrations, textures, patterns - use imagery that complements your brand.

Images should tell your brand story and cause emotions. Keep your style and content the same.

Apply Across All Brand Touchpoints

Extend your identity on every channel and resource.

Stationery, packaging, websites, apps, signs, social media, marketing, pitches – you name it.

Maintaining visual consistency strengthens recognition. It also looks awesome for branding purposes.

Develop Brand Guidelines

Set brand rules for your look.

Detail the correct logo usage, color palette, font specifications, imagery guidelines, etc.

Learn from your employees and vendors on how to implement it. : Brand rules keep things integrity when you grow.

Audit and Refresh Periodically

Re-examine your brand every year or so.

Audit for consistency. Identify areas needing refinement.

Consider replacing parts that are old or outdated. Your brand has to change with the times.

Corporate Identity Inspiration

Need some visual inspiration? Here are brands who’ve hit their corporate identity nirvana:

Target - Deep rich red and white. Clean, minimalist design. Friendly, welcoming vibe.
Coca-Cola - The classic red scheme. Timeless script logo. Festive, all-American feel.
Apple - Sleek, modern aesthetics. Focused on simplicity. High-end, cutting-edge vibe.
Starbucks - Rich green color. Custom illustrative style. Warm, neighborhood cafe feel.
Nike - Dynamic, athletic typography. Bold imagery. High-energy, motivational attitude.
FedEx - Proud purple and orange. Proprietary logo with a hidden arrow. Professional, dependable impression.

These companies have cemented their brand. The consumers recognize them in a matter of seconds from a simple visual reference.

Key Takeaways

Branding is dependent on your corporate brand identity. Follow these core principles:

Create visual consistency with your brand. Make strategic choices.
Create brand foundations - logo, colors, typography. Use them consistently.
Include appropriate, aligned images that support your brand narrative.
Extend your brand everywhere - digital and physical.
Develop standards for proper use as you scale.
Check back and change who you are every couple of years. Brands evolve.

A consistent corporate identity creates rapport and confidence. It makes impressive brand impressions. It marks you out in the market.

Carefully craft your visual presentation. Make it the logo of your company.

Final Thoughts

Corporate identity is critical. A logical, aligned visual language matches your brand message. It establishes brand affinity when used in synergy throughout. Apply basic branding and change it regularly. An identity is the thing that makes you stand out and makes your business successful. What is the image of your brand?

FAQs

Do I Have to Crowdsource My Corporate Identity Design?

Crowdsourcing your corporate identity design isn’t usually a good idea. Your visual brand is an investment of long-term business value that needs planning. Make sure to hire a professional designer or agency who will get deep into your brand and create an identity that’s meaningful to your mission, style, and customers.

Our corporate identity is boring. Does it have an option to get rid of the emoji or clipart?

Don’t fall for "funny" things such as emoji or stale clip art to make your corporate identity "cool". These don’t usually mesh with an intentional brand. Rather, hire a designer to create an individual, ownable brand identity that uses thoughtful colors, typography, images, textures, and/or illustrations that bolster your brand.

We're rebranding. So should we all reinvent the wheel?

You don’t need to update all visual components of a brand refresh, of course. Assess first how much power you possess over who you are as a person currently. See your brand, colors, typography - what still fits? Build off good ones and revamp old ones. Changing too many times confuses customers.