A logo alone doesn't make your corporate identity a party

As a senior graphic designer, I am regularly asked to develop a corporate identity. Clients focus first and foremost on the logo. Well, a logo is certainly an important part of a corporate identity, but are you okay with that? If you have a logo, do you also have a corporate identity? Well no... there is a bit more to it.

First things first

When developing a corporate identity, it is important to really know what type of organization you are dealing with. It therefore starts with collecting information about the organization. If it is relatively small, a briefing will be drawn up in consultation with management or marketing that answers questions such as: Who are you? What do you do? Who is your target group? What do you want to radiate as an organization? For large companies, this is often a more extensive process. From coming up with a resounding name to determining the positioning, mission, vision, corporate story, desired image with the audience, etc. Only when this preliminary phase has been completed and the necessary questions have been answered, do we start developing the corporate identity.

A logo...? Obviously!

A corporate identity often starts with designing a logo. Surely that is the company's “business card”. What the target group will often see and what they will associate with the organization. A well-designed logo therefore represents 100% the company. It shows who or what the organization is and, in terms of style, is completely in line with the essence of the organization (the DNA). It is a recognizable symbol, a beacon, that the target group recognizes out of thousands and on which they can sail blind.

We want more!

But of course, more than a logo is needed... Because you only want one thing: communicate! So do you want to hand out business cards, send (digital) letters and invoices, have a promotional website, advertise, post messages on social media, give presentations, prepare reports, package products, label company cars and the building, put the staff in corporate clothing, the list is endless... And then: own the place. Make sure that all these assets breathe the corporate identity and are recognisable!
Then you might think: I now have a logo, so I'll just 'stick' it all over the place, right? But that is a bit too short of a curve.

Let the party begin!

I see a corporate identity as a party. Your logo is the cake; very important to confirm the festive atmosphere, but won't the party be much more fun — read better — if there are also garlands, balloons and music playing? That's why I say: “Let's have some fun!” Your corporate identity becomes much more vibrant when there are more elements to play with in all business communications.

First of all, there are the corporate identity fonts. Consistent selection of certain fonts helps confirm identity. One or more letter families with lean, bold and italic letters are preferred, as this offers opportunities for typographic variation. Some organizations even have their own, unique font (s) designed to create their own look, such as the National government or it Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Then there is the color palette. A well-chosen combination of multiple colors sometimes ensures recognition from afar. If you see a red and yellow building on the highway, everyone knows you're dealing with a Shell gas station right away, even before you see the logo. The same goes for IKEA's blue and yellow; also very recognisable.

Specific shapes and/or patterns also give your organization or product recognition. The white wave on a red background of Coca Cola is a good example of this. And every Ziggo subscriber is also familiar with the pattern of polygonal areas in orange gradients that they use.

A specific style of photography or illustration that you use can also be a typical element of your corporate identity. The photography for a construction company brochure will simply have to have a very different atmosphere than that for a catalogue of — I'll name it — women's lingerie.

You can also think of fixed formats and patterns for the expressions, but the choice of materials can also play a role in the recognition and identity of an organization: a flyer printed on off-white, recycled paper has a completely different look than a brochure that shines at you almost dazzling on bright white paper.

Not just “for fun”

All these kinds of extra corporate identity elements complete the corporate identity party. Together, they form a “style family” that can be played with. By combining them in different ways over and over again, your corporate identity stays vibrant and does not become boring and rigid. But is this party just “for fun”? No, it does have a function. It offers the possibility to use the identity in various ways. And that is really necessary, because one means of communication is not the other. A pen often only has space for the logo and maybe a URL, but you can do more with corporate identity elements in a folder. That is also necessary to make it an attractive means of communication. An exhibition stand has very different practical and technical requirements for applying a corporate identity. For example, each tool requires its own approach to make it your “thing”. That's why these extra corporate identity elements are very welcome and necessary.

Non-visual elements

And now we've only talked about the visual elements of a corporate identity. There are also non-visual aspects that play a role in how you come across to the target group. These mainly have to do with communication, language and behavior and are largely in your control. Think: How does the organization communicate to the target group, employees, suppliers? What is the underlying message in the communications? What is the tone of voice in the messages and ads? How do you approach someone in personal conversations? How is the phone included in the organization? How are people received at the front desk? How do you respond to feedback you receive or social media posts? These aspects are also part of a corporate identity. After all, everything that is done, said or communicated by or on behalf of an organization affects how the organization is experienced by others.

Total package

The word “corporate identity” is often interpreted too narrowly. Like it's just about some 'style things'. English speaks of corporate identity, which already sounds more comprehensive. This really is about the total identity of a company and that therefore goes beyond just a logo or how the ads look. That's why you should really see the corporate identity as a total package of how the entire organization communicates with the outside world. It may start with a logo, but there is much more to it than meets the eye. If you do this properly (or get it done), it will definitely be a success!