Corporate identity: what it is and how it defines organizations
The business environment is tremendously competitive. Thousands of companies are continually born and die, remaining and highlighting only a relatively small percentage of them. The reasons for some to survive and others can not be very varied, going through the presence of insufficient initial capital, a very small-scale projection or the absence of an added value that allows the product itself to stand out from the competition. .
Another aspect that can make a company stay is that it is a coherent organization, with a clear structure and objectives and that projects a positive and appealing image for its target audience. And one of the essential requirements for this is to have a clear corporate identity .
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What is the corporate identity?
We understand corporate identity as the set of characteristics that provide a company or company with its own personality differentiated from that of other companies.
It is one of the most important elements when generating a coherent company, since it includes the set of elements that allow employees to be part of a whole, make clear the objectives of the company and generate a structure and a hierarchy clear organizational
Among other things, the corporate identity provides a framework in which the members of the company carry out their activity , with a determined plan of action and in a manner consistent with what the institution is and does. In other words, it defines the what and how things are done in the company, as well as the way in which they are projected abroad.
Another of the most relevant aspects facing abroad, and which in fact often happens to identify the brand without taking into account other factors, is the set of visual and physical elements that are identifiable and perceptible by the client or user.
However, in this case we would be talking about the visual identity, which, although it is an important part of the corporate identity, is not its entirety: within the corporate identity we also include the set of elements that structure and define the operation of the corporation .
Main elements
The concept of corporate identity is relatively simple to understand, but creating that identity means taking into account and generating the large number of elements that make it up.
Specifically, The main aspects and elements that are part of the corporate identity They are the following.
1. Corporate philosophy
Corporate philosophy is understood as the way the company sees and understands reality in relation to what is expected: that is, its orientation towards the future, as well as how it relates to the world. It also includes The main values defended by the company and the type of long-term objectives that seeks to achieve.
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2. Corporate culture
The corporate culture is the set of non-tangible elements that explain how the corporation works today. Norms, guiding beliefs of the activity and values present in day to day They are some of the main elements of the company's culture.
3. Organizational climate
This aspect refers to the type of environment present in the company. To the emotional, motivational and relational elements. We are not talking about culture or how the company is governed, but about aspects such as the sense of belonging, the type of relationship and relationship between employees and the perception of workers with respect to their role in the company.
4. Work plan
The work plan is the realization of a planning of the activities to be carried out by the company and how to do them. It includes objectives, methods, ways to observe progress and the tasks to be performed .
5. Visual identity
The visual identity refers to the set of visual and physical, tangible elements that allow identifying the brand or company in question. Within the visual identity we can find elements such as the name of the company or brand, the logo and the slogan, the colors or even the organization and decoration of the facilities or the uniforms of the employees. Although it seems somewhat incidental, the truth is that this aspect must be carefully planned.
6. Communication strategies
An aspect of great importance is the type of communication strategies that the company has. That is, how it communicates or projects outward. In this sense we must include methodologies and communication protocols , such as the use of blogs and web pages, brochures or press conferences.
7. Corporate Identity Manual
It is the document in which the set of characteristics that make the company somewhat differentiated : the rules of the institution, objectives and operation indications regarding how to use the logo or visual identity.
8. A great advantage
The presence of a strong and clear corporate identity is very useful in order to make the company in question more comprehensible and unitary, making its corporate image (that is, the way in which it is perceived externally) more reliable and facilitating that possible clients or users notice it .
And not only externally: it facilitates the management and organization of the company and that employees have links with the institution, improving productivity and facilitating their survival.
Bibliographic references:
- Aldersey-Williams, H. (1993). Corporate identity. Parramón, Barcelona.
- Mut, M. and Breva, E. (2003). From corporate identity to corporate visual identity, a necessary path. Jornades de Foment de la Investigació. Universitat Jaume I.
