While image is how you're perceived, identity is who you are. Corporate identity is a graphic expression of both, and as long as we live in a world where people judge books by their covers, it is critical to address the need for proper corporate identity.

According to Opinion Research Corp., corporate identity plays a major role in what sells a company and its products. In a study by that company, 97 percent of senior and middle managers said corporate identity is a key factor in the success or failure of an organization.

The problem is, while we do judge books—and businesses—by their covers, many of those covers are bad. Consumers are forced to make decisions about businesses and products that don't look as good as they are. Many businesses present a corporate identity in their logo, stationery, brochures, forms, signage, advertising, and web site that says the wrong thing to their customers.

If you think that having a corporate identity doesn't matter to your business, think again. You have a corporate identity even if you have never intentionally developed one, and chances are good that your visual corporate identity doesn't communicate the image you need.

Most businesses spend a lot of money on advertising, packaging, signage, sales promotion, and printing. A strong corporate identity ensures this investment pays off. While there is an initial investment in developing an effective corporate identity, it can save money in the long run. A well-managed identity program reduces mistakes and waste, and high-quality marketing materials increase sales.

The corporate logo design is the cornerstone of any corporate communications program. The ability to develop an identity that will communicate the essence of your company, and be instantly recognizable and memorable, is rare even among graphic designers. Just as not all physicians are qualified to perform brain surgery, not all designers should tackle a corporate identity project. When choosing a designer, review candidates’ logo-design portfolios and talk to some of their clients.

Once the logo is completed, the materials that will carry it must be developed. Work begins with the envelopes, letterhead, and business card. Paper stock, ink colors, and layout further enhance your corporate identity. These tools make a company's first impression on its audiences.

Our firm once developed a logo and stationery package for a business client here, who immediately used it for a proposal. A week later he called to say that he had landed the contract. He said that although he wasn't surprised to get the business, he was surprised that the customer didn't try to negotiate his bid, as he was used to. He attributed the change to the fact that for the first time, his company looked as good as it was.

Think also now about the information that is to be contained on each piece. Don't forget cellular phone and pager numbers, e-mail addresses, and web-site locations. For many businesses today, this information is more important to the customer than an office address.

Don't fall off when you're on line
Corporate promotion and communication through the Internet is an area that is receiving a lot of press lately. The reason is simple. Forty-eight percent of small businesses now have Internet access, and that number is growing daily. Home access to the Internet has doubled since 1996 to almost 38 million households. This offers your company a new market to address, and the need of new ways to speak to those potential customers.

From logo to web site, a consistent corporate identity is vital to present a professional image to your customers. In web-site development, corporate identity sometimes takes a back seat to technology. This doesn't serve a company well.

The entire identity program and marketing plan must be considered to ensure that the right message is being communicated in the web site. The most effective web sites combine high-quality corporate identity with high-quality content, supported by the appropriate web technology.

A web site can be a great communication tool. It can serve as your key to a potential client's door. If that key turns the lock, you're in. If your web site design, structure, and content aren't what they need to be, then you are just banging your head against the door. My guess is that if you are running a business, you've got enough headaches already.

Take a hard look
How is your corporate identity presented in your company's marketing materials? Does your logo communicate the mission and image of your business? Is your stationery screaming for an upgrade to list e-mail and other access mediums? Is your advertising effectively generating new leads and sales? Are your corporate brochures and presentation materials buried in a closet because the text is outdated, the photos old, and the listed key staff no longer with the firm? Is your web site doing all it can to tie in with your corporate identity program? These questions are critical to ask as you look to improve the image of your business.

Spokane-area businesses often are faced with a “David vs. Goliath” challenge. How does a small firm go head-to-head with much larger and financially powerful national or international competitors? Resources and staff may be limited, and marketing budgets likely are a fraction of those of competitors.

A focused corporate identity program, with effectively implemented materials, can pack a strategic punch much more effective than a high-caliber blast. David killed Goliath with a single small stone. The success of the shot isn't necessarily in the firepower– it's in the strategic placement of the right shot on target. Assess your competitor's vulnerability and produce materials that will generate the highest return per shot.

Take a critical look at your corporate identity. Succeeding in business is difficult enough.

Take advantage of the competitive edge that a quality corporate identity offers. People do judge books by their covers. From your logo to your web site, make sure your business identity is telling the right story.

Rick Hosmer is creative director and a principal of Klundt Hosmer, a Spokane-based visual communications firm that serves clients throughout the Northwest.

Reprinted from the October 28, 1999 issue of the Journal of Business, Spokane, Washington.
© Copyright 1998 – Northwest Business Press.

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