The business world is extremely competitive. Thousands of companies are constantly being born and dying, with only a relatively small percentage of them remaining and standing out. The reasons for some surviving and others cannot be very varied, including the presence of insufficient initial capital, very small-scale projection or the absence of added value that would allow the product itself to stand out from the competition.

Another aspect that can help a company to stay in business is that it is a coherent organization, with a clear structure and objectives, and that it projects a positive and appealing image to its target audience. And one of the essential requirements for this is to have a clear corporate identity .

What is corporate identity?

We understand by corporate identity the set of characteristics that provide a company or enterprise with its own personality differentiated from the rest of the companies.

This is one of the most important elements in generating a coherent company, as it brings together all the elements that allow employees to be part of a whole, make the company’s objectives clear and generate a clear organizational structure and hierarchy.

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 way that is consistent with what the institution is and does. In other words, it defines what and how things are done in the company, as well as how they are projected to the outside world.

Another of the most relevant aspects, which in fact often identify the brand without taking into account other factors, is the set of visual and physical elements that are identified and perceived by the customer 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 totality: within the corporate identity there is also the set of elements that structure and define the functioning of the corporation .

Main elements

The concept of corporate identity is relatively simple to understand, but creating such identity means taking into account and generating the great amount of elements that make it up.

Specifically, the main aspects and elements that form part of the corporate identity are the following

1. Corporate philosophy

The corporate philosophy is understood as the way in which 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 it seeks to achieve.

2. Corporate culture

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 the day-to-day 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 the culture or how the company is governed, but about aspects such as the feeling of belonging, the type of connection and relationship between employees and the perception of the workers with respect to their role in the company.

4. Work plan

The work plan is the planning of the activities to be carried out by the company and how to do them. It includes objectives, methods, ways of observing progress and the tasks to be carried out .

5. Visual identity

The visual identity refers to the set of visual and physical, tangible elements that allow to identify 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 slogan, the colours or even the organisation and decoration of the facilities or the employees’ uniforms. Although it may seem incidental, the truth is that this aspect must be carefully planned.

6. Communication strategies

One aspect of great importance is the type of communication strategies the company has. That is, how it communicates or projects itself to the outside world. In this sense we must include communication methodologies and protocols , such as the use of blogs and websites, brochures or press conferences.

7. Corporate identity manual

This is the document in which the set of characteristics that make the company different are registered : the rules of the institution, objectives and operation the indications on how to use the logo or visual identity.

8. A great advantage

The presence of a strong and clear corporate identity is of great use in making the company in question more comprehensible and unitary, making its corporate image (i.e. the way it is perceived externally) more reliable and making it easier for potential customers or users to notice it .

And not only externally: it facilitates the management and organization of the company and that the 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. Jaume I University.