Читать книгу Start & Run a Graphic Design Business - Michael Huggins - Страница 62

Your corporate identity is a way of identifying your business from other businesses. Your corporate identity is important because it is a big part of your brand. Having a positive brand image in your marketplace can make all the difference between success and failure.

Your brand has to do with everything from your business name to the signage on your building to your business card. It includes all of your marketing material and even the way you answer the phone and conduct meetings. Your brand is the sum of all the parts of your business.

Essentially a brand is not what you say it is — it’s what other people say it is. That’s why creating a corporate identity is so important.

Your corporate identity is your action plan to get people to think about your business the way you want them to. It’s a collection of elements that help you control how you are thought of and identified in the marketplace. Although you can’t ultimately control how people view your business, you can greatly influence them. Especially when you focus all your efforts into one very clear, concise look and message. That’s the advantage of a great corporate identity.

Your corporate identity has 4 main components: your company’s name, unique marketing message, professional standards, and visual image. Let’s look at each of these in a little more detail.