As more companies go international and feel the need to redefine their identity, specialists in Business Identity (EI) are increasingly trying to shape the image they radiate in the world.
In addition to being a marketing instrument to communicate with customers, it is a means of management to motivate company employees.
The specialists in Business Identity create an image of the company that will reach its clients and the general public. While this is primarily associated with the creation and marketing of brands and logos, this is only one aspect. IE is more than a logo, in the true sense of the word, it is the sum total of multiple impressions that creates an image, an experience of a company.
Some very backward firms in this field put their logo on everything and that is not the true meaning of EI. It is just a vulgar way of promoting EI that loses much of the subtlety it should have.
There is a tendency to view EI in a very restricted sense, as a simple signature at the bottom of an advertisement or on a box. But EI is a strategic element in contrast to advertising that has more tactical or consumer purposes and whose duration ranges from six months to a year.
Obviously all design must be classic, in no way can one get carried away by the trend of the moment. The worst that can happen is that something is designed that after five years appears to date from five years ago. You have to avoid last minute images as opposed to advertising that should impact.
A business identification sign, such as a brand name, is supposed to be a strategic weapon that will last forever. As time passes, accumulate more attention and persuasion. You must be certain that the design does not contradict the goal of the company. The process involves a thorough analysis of a company's current position and where it is expected to go in the future. Sharing the business vision game is essential.
In addition to using EI graphic techniques, emphasis should be placed on the commercial service of the product. In international markets you have to act vigorously.
It is not just about preparing brochures of all kinds, you should think about exhibitions, packaging, correspondence advertising, web pages, time and place of sales, etc., since all this contributes to a better understanding of what a company is. EI should be a weapon applicable in the country of origin, but also in another culture. The badge must work even in the most rigorous conditions, the same in a photographic camera (minolta), where it is no more than a simple dot, as in a huge illuminated advertisement in New York.
As some companies have sought out more modern and stylized images, they have been criticized for using highly abstract and impersonal company names and brands. Others have outgrown the brand that represents specific products or services due to mergers with other companies or diversification of activities. The constant need to convey stability, consistency, and reliability forced EI towards two areas: a more abstract design and a less direct identification, contrary to the past where a company could be identified in a very special way since the visual representation showed clearly and penetratingly the activities of the company.
The idea of a simple, elegant and abstract shape was something invaluable that stood out and distinguished itself from the rest: that had a great impact. But as the designs multiplied, their abstract representation became more difficult and in one way or another they became similar. The real challenge today is to find a method that allows to maintain individuality - a true identity - and to represent what a company is in a clear and attractive way.
In some countries, EI is used as a comprehensive idea to inform staff of changes that are needed. For management, it is a way of rethinking and re-formulating their business philosophy, as well as attracting the attention of employees. An IE program helps to clearly enunciate the company's core values.
Although the term "restructuring" sounds interesting, some companies use the term "business renewal", here is a significant difference.
They are trying to find a way to breathe new life into the company and EI is part of that work. It is a means to encourage the labor base as much or more to communicate with the outside.
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Adaptation of "Need to renew the image" by Steve Usdin, PHP, Ideas for a better world. January 2000
