Corporate identity – short history
Efforts to establish „corporate behaviour“ – from ancient times (states,
governments, armies – efforst to establish uniform policy within the
institution that was presented by certain style.
Idea of corporate image – beginning of 20th century
„In order to succeed in business the companies have to express their
unique character, differences and contrasting elements distinguishing
them from the competition“.
50s-60s – corporate design in full thanks to designer companies in US
(Landor) and UK (Henrion). At that time also corporate design of other
companies was being developped (IBM, Shell, Lufthansa, BMW etc.)
First – visual identity, later other factors were added
Corporate identity – what it is?
A corporate identity is the overall image of a corporation or firm or
business in the minds of diverse publics, such as customers and investors
and employees.
It is a primary task: to maintain and build this identity to accord with and
facilitate the attainment of business objectives. It is usually visibly
manifested by way of branding and the use of trademarks.
Corporate identity comes into being when there is a common ownership
of an organizational philosophy that is manifest in a distinct corporate
culture.
Corporate identity helps organizations to answer questions like “who are
we?” and “where are we going?” Corporate identity also allows
consumers to denote their sense of belonging with particular human
aggregates or groups.
Corporate identity – what it is?
Corporate identity – what it is?
A corporate identity is the overall image of a corporation or firm or
business in the minds of diverse publics, such as customers and investors
and employees.
It is a primary task: to maintain and build this identity to accord with and
facilitate the attainment of business objectives. It is usually visibly
manifested by way of branding and the use of trademarks.
Corporate identity comes into being when there is a common ownership
of an organizational philosophy that is manifest in a distinct corporate
culture.
Corporate identity helps organizations to answer questions like “who are
we?” and “where are we going?” Corporate identity also allows
consumers to denote their sense of belonging with particular human
aggregates or groups.
Corporate identity – what it is?
Corporate identity is often viewed as being composed of three
parts:
• Corporate design (logos, uniforms, corporate colours etc.)
• Corporate communication (advertising, public relations,
information, etc.)
• Corporate behavior (internal values, norms, etc.)
Corporate identity – what it is?
Corporate identity
Philosophy of the company
Corporate
design
Corporate
communications
Corporate
culture
Corporate image
Products
Corporate philosophy
Corporate philosophy
Corporate philosophy
Corporate philosophy
The philosophy of business considers the fundamental principles that
underlie the formation and operation of a business enterprise; the
nature and purpose of a business, for example, is it primarily property
or a social institution; its role in society; and the moral obligations that
pertain to it.
Corporate personality
Starting point for creating the corporate philosopy. For the company
to have specific personality, it has to have eight characteristic features.
1. Unusual form- appearance
2. Own style
3. Realisation of unusual activities/acts in different way
4. CP is independent
5. Uniformity of words and acts
6. Clear, logic and constant management
7. Rich in ideas an material values
8. Its value is based on motivated and capable employees.
Corporate philosophy
We believe quality and design should be affordable to many.
The LAMPAN table lamp was designed using the five elements of
“democratic design” - form, function, quality, sustainability and a low
price. So instead of thinking outside the box, we got rid of it
Corporate design
A corporate design is the official graphical design of the logo and name of a
company or institution used on letterheads, envelopes, forms, folders,
brochures, etc.
The house style is created in such a way that all the elements are arranged
in a distinctive design and pattern. This includes dictating what ink
pantones should be used in the coloring, and what typefaces.
Corporate design – visual identity
Four functions of corporate visual identity can be distinguished.
1. visibility and „recognizability". For virtually all profit and non-profit
organisations, it is of vital importance that people know that the
organization exists and remember its name and core business at the
right time.
2. corporate visual identity symbolizes an organization for external
stakeholders, and, hence, contributes to its image and reputation.
Corporate design – visual identity
3. It expresses the structure of an organization to its external stakeholders,
visualising its coherence as well as the relationships between divisions or
units (single brands, different brands for indiv. parts, different brands
visually connected to each other).
Corporate design – visual identity
4. Internal function of corporate visual identity relates to employees'
identification with the organization as a whole and/or the specific
departments they work for (depending on the corporate visual strategy in
this respect). Identification appears to be crucial for employees, and
corporate visual identity probably plays a symbolic role in creating such
identification.
Corporate design
A wordmark, word mark or logotype is usually a distinct text-only
typographic treatment of the name of a company, institution, or
product name used for purposes of identification and branding.
The organization name is incorporated as a simple graphic treatment to
create a clear, visually memorable identity. The representation of the
word becomes a visual symbol of the organization or product.
In the United States and European Union, a wordmark may be
registered, making it a protected intellectual property.
Corporate design
A logo (abbr. of logotype, from Greek: logos - word, idea + typos - imprint,
picture) is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial
enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote
instant public recognition.
Logos are either purely graphic (symbols/icons) or are composed of a
word, letter or combination of above mentioned.
Corporate design
Logo design is an important area of graphic design, and one of the most
difficult to perfect. The logo (ideogram) is the image embodying an
organization. Because logos are meant to represent companies' brands or
corporate identities and foster their immediate customer recognition, it is
counterproductive to frequently redesign logos.
Color is a key element in logo design and plays an important role in brand
differentiation. The importance of color in this context is due to the
mechanics of human visual perception wherein color and contrast play
critical roles in visual detail detection.
In addition, we tend to acquire various color connotations and color
associations through social and cultural conditioning, and these play a
role in how we decipher and evaluate logo color.
Corporate design - logo
While color - is considered important to brand recognition and logo
design, it shouldn't conflict with logo functionality, and it needs to be
remembered that color connotations and associations are not consistent
across all social and cultural groups (white in Japan x white in Europe)
For example, in the United States, red, white, and blue are often used in
logos for companies that want to project patriotic feelings but other
countries will have different sets of colors that evoke national pride.
Similarly, diverse industry sectors tend to favour different color palettes:
Fast food industry: strong, saturated colors
Corporate design
Banking, insurance, technology companies: less saturated, more sombre
colors.
http://www.famouslogos.net/att-logo/
Corporate design
Design manual
The protection of visual identity is probably one of the most important
issues when it comes to developing concepts in which corporate identity
(CI) is used.
Both in web design and in print – corporate identity manuals are supposed
to give designers precise guidelines on how logotypes, colors and
typography should be used.
Goal: to promote the visual identity in the most convenient, consistent
and efficient way and make sure no mistakes are done.
E.g. the logotype remains readable and the whitespace around the logo
gives it the space it needs to breathe and be effective – throughout various
projects.
http://www.prodiss.cz/download/corporate_d
esign_manual.pdf
Corporate communications
One of the key factors that help the company to survive on
the market.
Corporate communication types:
• Public relations ( dialog of the company with the public
using direct and indirect forms/channels.
• Corporate advertising – advertisements in media and other
types of marketing communications – message for target
groups (has to comply with visual identity of the company)
• Promotion of standpoints – the company uses opportunities
to express its view on various social, economic, political
issues
• Public speeches – representatives of the companies give
lectures or speeches (social events, political events)
• Human relations - communications the aim of which is to
support education, promotion of company values, spreading
general company information to attract people (best
employer)
• Investor relations - annual meetings of shareholders,
documents for shareholders, business reports…
Corporate communications
One of the key factors that help the company to survive on
the market.
Corporate communication types:
• Government relations: lobbing – efforts to push through the
interests of the company/ind. Sector (where the
implementation of company plans depends on political
decisions…. Lobbying – taxi lines
• University relations – scientific and research capacity,
source of new employees
• Industry relations – communication focused on business
partners, industry and government etc.
• Minority relations: relate to communities and minorities
(necessity to deal with the problems of minorities)
Corporate culture
Organizational culture is the behavior of humans who are part of an
organization and the meanings that the people attach to their
actions.
Culture includes the organization values, visions, norms, working
language, systems, symbols, beliefs and habits.
It is also the pattern of such collective behaviors and assumptions
that are taught to new organizational members as a way of
perceiving, and even thinking and feeling. Organizational culture
affects the way people and groups interact with each other, with
clients, and with stakeholders.
Corporate culture
Daniel Denison’s model (1990) asserts that organizational culture can be
described by four general dimensions – Mission, Adaptability,
Involvement and Consistency. Each of these general dimensions is
further described by the following three sub-dimensions:
• Mission - Strategic Direction and Intent, Goals and Objectives and
Vision
• Adaptability - Creating Change, Customer Focus and Organizational
Learning
• Involvement - Empowerment, Team Orientation and Capability
Development
• Consistency - Core Values, Agreement, Coordination/Integration
Corporate culture
Daniel Denison’s model (1990) asserts that organizational culture can be
described by four general dimensions – Mission, Adaptability,
Involvement and Consistency. Each of these general dimensions is
further described by the following three sub-dimensions:
• Mission - Strategic Direction and Intent, Goals and Objectives and
Vision
• Adaptability - Creating Change, Customer Focus and Organizational
Learning
• Involvement - Empowerment, Team Orientation and Capability
Development
• Consistency - Core Values, Agreement, Coordination/Integration
Corporate culture
Deal and Kennedy (1982) - a model of culture that is based on 4 different
types of organizations. They each focus on how quickly the organization
receives feedback, the way members are rewarded, and the level of risks
taken:
Work-hard, play-hard culture: This has rapid feedback/reward and low
risk resulting in: Stress coming from quantity of work rather than
uncertainty. High-speed action leading to high-speed recreation.
Examples: Restaurants, software companies.
Tough-guy macho culture: This has rapid feedback/reward and high risk,
resulting in the following: Stress coming from high risk and potential
loss/gain of reward. Focus on the present rather than the longer-term
future. Examples: police, surgeons, sports.
Corporate culture
Process culture: This has slow feedback/reward and low risk, resulting in
the following: Low stress, plodding work, comfort and security. Stress that
comes from internal politics and stupidity of the system. Development of
bureaucracies and other ways of maintaining the status quo. Focus on
security of the past and of the future.
Examples: banks, insurance companies
Bet-the-company culture: This has slow feedback/reward and high risk,
resulting in the following: Stress coming from high risk and delay before
knowing if actions have paid off. The long view is taken, but then much
work is put into making sure things happen as planned.
Examples: aircraft manufacturers, oil companies.
Corporate culture
Factors and elements
Gerry Johnson (1988) identified a number of elements that can be used
to describe or influence organizational culture:
• The paradigm: What the organization is about, what it does, its
mission, its values.
• Control systems: The processes in place to monitor what is going on.
Vast rulebooks
• Organizational structures: Reporting lines, hierarchies, and the way
that work flows through the business.
• Power structures: Who makes the decisions, how widely spread is
power, and on what is power based?
• Symbols: These include organizational logos and designs, but also
extend to symbols of power such as parking spaces and executive
washrooms.
• Rituals and routines: Management meetings, board reports and so on
may become more habitual than necessary.
• Stories and myths: build up about people and events, and convey a
message about what is valued within the organization (integrity, HS)
Corporate culture
Strong andd weak culture
Strong culture - staff respond to stimulus because of their alignment to
organizational values. Strong cultures help firms operate like well-oiled
machines, engaging in outstanding execution with only minor
adjustments to existing procedures as needed.
Weak culture - little alignment with organizational values, and control
must be exercised through extensive procedures and bureaucracy.
• Benefits of developing strong and productive cultures:
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Better aligning the company towards achieving its vision, mission, and goals
High employee motivation and loyalty
Increased team cohesiveness among the company's various departments and
divisions
Promoting consistency and encouraging coordination and control within the
company
Shaping employee behavior at work, enabling the organization to be more
efficient
Where culture is strong, people do things because they believe it is the right thing
to do.
Corporate culture
Healthy company culture
Organizations should strive for what is considered a "healthy"
organizational culture in order to increase productivity, growth, efficiency
and reduce counterproductive behavior and turnover of employees.
A variety of characteristics describe a healthy culture, including:
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Acceptance and appreciation for diversity
Regard for and fair treatment of each employee as well as respect for each
employee’s contribution to the company
Employee pride and enthusiasm for the organization and the work performed
Equal opportunity for each employee to realize their full potential within the
company
Strong communication with all employees regarding policies and company
issues
Strong company leaders with a strong sense of direction and purpose
Ability to compete in industry innovation and customer service, as well as price
Lower than average turnover rates (perpetuated by a healthy culture)
Investment in learning, training, and employee knowledge