If you are considering revisiting your company name and identity, you should know there are four basic elements to corporate identity.

Often one of the first things new leadership addresses when they join a company is the company identity.  Sometimes you should revisit your name and identity. A healthy quality identity helps attract customers. In time your corporate identity accumulates a clear awareness in the marketplace. It also maintains a highly proprietary value and continuously builds trust and equity in the process. The primary purpose of corporate identity is to create an image and identity among customers. Corporate identity can influence stakeholder and influencer perception.

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The Various Types of Identities for Organizations

Before we address what goes into corporate identity let’s distinguish between corporate identity, brand identity, and brand image.

• Corporate identity is concerned with the visual aspects of a company’s presence.
• Brand identity is the total proposition that a company makes to customers – the promise it makes.
• Brand image represents the totality of market perceptions about the brand which may not coincide with the brand identity.

If you’re a long established company with a logo that has stood the test of time, you may want to explore modernizing your visual image in terms of logo, design, and content.

Modernizing your identity, doesn’t typically entail a change in brand values so the heart and personality of the brand remains the same.  Keep in mind, that changes of the name, logos, and signage will not likely change market perceptions of quality, service, and the intangible associations that come to the foreground when the brand name is seen or heard. In fact, we recommend exercising caution when there is a strong brand personality to which customers are attracted. In these instances, substantial changes may destroy emotional attachments to the brand.

When the intention is to substantially improve the standing of the brand, then corporate identity changes must be accompanied by widespread changes to organizational culture, quality, and service standards. If done well, and if customers experience a great new or improved experience, then the changes will, over the longer term, have a corresponding positive effect on brand identity. Before you invest in these changes, conduct research and use the findings. This type of formal research is different from testing your the identity once it is created.

Brand identity encompasses the features, attributes, benefits, performance, quality, service support, and the values that the brand possesses. View the brand  as a product, a personality, a set of values, and a position it occupies in people’s minds. Brand identity is everything the company wants the brand to be seen as.  Companies who want to impact brand image need to make sure that they are focused on every aspect of the customer experience. 

Address Four Elements When Creating Your Identity

Changing corporate identity is a matter of four basic elements.  These elements alone, however will not change your brand identity and image. This requires far more than a change in your logo.  If it is a matter of modernizing your look, and we all understand that the value of an updated look and keeping in step with the market, then incorporate these four elements:

1. The Name. It is desirable that the name provides an idea of your activity field and that it appeals to a specific range of customers. Move from merely a descriptive name to something that reflect your value proposition.
2. Logo. A change to your name often requires a change in the design of your logo.  
3. Family of colors. Company colors are to be selected with consideration of some commonly known influences of colors on human emotions and their psychological effect. For example, some shades of blue have a soothing effect, a light shade of green has a recreative influence, red and bright yellow are stimulating, and pink suggests serenity and happiness. There’s a tremendous amount of information on the psychology of color.  
4. Font type and style. Font’s influence human perception. Just as there is a lot of information on the impact of color there is also a psychology behind font selection. Select fonts that are simultaneously attractive, easily readable, unique and memorable. The existing fonts and their typefaces are innumerable. Therefore your choice should be guided by the considerations of main stereotypes in your specific group of appeal and also of the overall impression that you seek to produce.

Most companies find using an agency experienced in this type of work very valuable and we would encourage you to go down this path rather than trying to do it on your own.  Remember to test your changes with your existing and target customers.  

FAQ:

• The Name: Should reflect your value proposition and appeal to your target market.
• Logo: Represents your visual brand; changes may be needed if the name changes.
• Family of Colors: Select colors with consideration for psychological and emotional impact on your audience.
• Font Type and Style: Fonts influence perception—choose ones that are attractive, readable, and aligned with your brand’s personality.

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