Every company should have a corporate identity guide. The corporate identity manual defines how your company’s brand, image and message are conveyed to the public and especially to your key audience.
But before we answer the burning question of what is the most important page in your corporate identity guide, let’s dig a little deeper.
Corporate identity is not the same as corporate image. Corporate image is how the company is perceived by its various target groups, i.e. how it is seen by outsiders such as the financial world or potential users.
Corporate identity is what companies use to shape these perceptions. To make it easier for employees to display a consistent corporate identity, many companies publish corporate identity guidelines. A corporate identity manual is just a set of instructions on how to display things like logos and how to accurately describe a company.
As the company grows and more and more people are involved, the essence of the brand is being expressed by many managers and communicators. How do we manage all of this and maintain standards and build a brand as the company and its history develop and grow?
The Corporate Identity Handbook is a defining tool for this. This positions the company, no matter how big or small it is. The importance of consistent typography, use of color, placement of logos and the like cannot be underestimated. These are all explained in the Corporate Identity Guide.
A good identity guide helps communication designers and managers create a visual voice for business, which can include photo libraries and image standards, as well as templates for professional publishing. These guidelines build a stronger corporate identity, which in turn influences the public and ultimately the company’s corporate image.
