Corporate Identity

What is corporate identity?

Corporate identity is the set of both tangible and intangible elements that make up a company's unique identity. It is often confused with visual identity, which is formed by visual elements such as the logo, the website, brochures and so on. Visual identity forms part of corporate identity, but corporate identity goes much further — encompassing business philosophy, mission, vision and values, internal organisation, customer service and more.

Importance

Just as individuals have a singular personality, companies with a well-defined and easily recognisable personality are likely to be better known. Corporate identity should be defined before launching a company into the market. Although it can evolve over time in response to new practices, trends or regulations, it must be clearly differentiable within the full spectrum of competing companies.

Goals

Corporate identity pursues different goals depending on whether it relates to employees or customers.

For employees

• Create a sense of group belonging
• Define corporate organisation
• Define universal goals and values

For customers

• Demonstrate clear differences from the competition
• Create a sense of belonging
• Generate a favourable public opinion
• Position the company in the consumer's mind