Corporate identity: what is it and how does it define organizations?

A key component in organizations that gives them coherence and their own philosophy.

The business world is tremendously competitive. Thousands of companies are constantly born and die, with only a relatively small percentage of them remaining and standing out. The reasons why some survive and others do not can be very varied, ranging from the presence of insufficient initial capital, a very small-scale projection or the absence of an added value that allows the product itself to stand out from the competition.

Another aspect that can make a company stand the test of time 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 public. And one of essential prerequisites for this is to have a clear corporate identity..

What is corporate identity?

We understand corporate identity as the set of characteristics that give a company its own personality, differentiated from that of other companies. differentiated from that of other companies.

It is one of the most important elements when it comes to creating a coherent company, since it includes the set of elements that allow employees to form part of a whole, make the company's objectives clear and generate a clear organizational structure and hierarchy.

Among other things, corporate identity provides a framework within which the members of the company carry out their activity, with a determined plan of action and a clear organizational hierarchy.The corporate identity provides, among other things, a framework within 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 what it does. In other words, it defines what and how things are done in the company, as well as the way in which they are projected to the outside.

Another of the most relevant aspects for the outside world, and which in fact often comes to identify the brand without taking into account other factors, is the set of visual and physical elements that are identifiable and perceptible 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 are also included the set of elements that structure and define the functioning of the brand. structure and define the functioning of the corporation..

Main elements

The concept of corporate identity is relatively simple to understand, but creating such an identity involves taking into account and generating the large number of elements that make it up.

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

1. Corporate philosophy

Corporate philosophy is understood as the company's way of seeing and understanding 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. it seeks to achieve.

2. Corporate culture

Corporate culture is the set of non-tangible elements that explain how the corporation currently operates. Norms, guiding beliefs of the activity and values present in day-to-day business are some of the main elements of corporate culture. are some of the main elements of corporate 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 no longer talking about the culture or how the company is governed, but about aspects such as the feeling of belonging, the type of bonding and relationship between employees and the perception of workers with respect to their role in the company.

4. Work plan

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

5. Visual identity

The visual identity refers to the set of visual and physical, tangible elements that allow identifying 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 colors or even the organization and decoration of the facilities or the employees' uniforms. or the employees' uniforms. Although it may seem incidental, the truth is that this aspect must be carefully planned.

6. Communication strategies

A very important aspect is the type of communication strategies the company has. That is to say, how the company communicates or projects itself to the outside world. In this sense communication methodologies and protocols, such as the use of blogs andsuch as the use of blogs and web pages, brochures or press conferences.

7. Corporate identity manual

It is the document in which the set of characteristics that make the company characteristics that make the company stand out from the restThe corporate identity manual includes: the institution's rules, objectives and operation, and indications on how to use the logo or visual identity.

8. A great advantage

The presence of a strong and clear corporate identity is very useful in order to make the company in question more understandable and unified, 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. making it easier for potential customers or users to take notice of it..

And not only externally: it facilitates the management and organization of the company and the employees' connection with the institution, improving productivity and facilitating its survival.