The path to an integrated graphic identity?

The articles below were published in Entrepreneur magazine, 2008.

Choosing a contractor

If we follow the well-known syntax that “design is too important to be left to designers alone“, we need to think carefully about how complex and how broad we want to make our corporate identity before choosing a supplier for our corporate identity.

Small businesses that start designing from a modest starting point and with a modest budget can be adequately advised and serviced by a number of so-called free-lancers, individual graphic designers, various sole traders or small studios that focus primarily on designing the logo and basic applications, business cards, letterheads, invoices, stamps and the like. Such solutions are usually not complex and mainly aim at a pleasing touch – “a nice sign for a successful company“.

However, small businesses with a clear vision, strategy and objectives, and especially medium-sized and usually larger companies, should choose a suitable design studio or marketing agency with the right credentials when selecting a contractor. The choice of one or the other is, of course, linked to the complexity of solving the problem of branding a company and its brands, and to the appropriate professionals with the different profiles and experience needed for a quality implementation. In Slovenia, a good number of smaller, relatively high-quality and specialised studios have grown up in the last decade, which, with their competitive prices and the possibility of an in-depth approach, are undoubtedly a better choice than large agencies. However, for larger companies with complex problems and a larger budget, it is more appropriate to seek help from larger agencies, as they can usually offer sufficient staffing of relevant experts.

Before starting work on a cgp project, whether for a small, medium or large company, it is important to be aware that the project needs to be managed at two levels – at the top level, involving the owner of the company, the most senior management of the company, including the CEO or chairman of the board, and, for larger companies, at the middle level, involving lower and middle management, who are responsible for the concrete implementation of the decisions. Regardless of the size of the company, key decisions and decisions must be taken by the company’s management, as this is the only guarantee that the new or renewed image will be accepted by all employees, business partners, customers and other stakeholders of the company.

The development of the corporate identity is divided into four phases:

1) the research, analysis and strategic recommendations phase. This phase includes desk research, SWOT analyses, audits of the company’s design, communications and knowledge, and a number of internal and external interviews with various publics, on the basis of which strategic recommendations are made to the company. These recommendations define the company’s vision, mission, values and objectives, which are the key starting point for defining the desired identity and image of the company and the methods and tools needed to achieve it.

2) The second phase is the development of the visual identity concept, which presupposes the development of different visual identity concepts, within which variations of pictorial or word signs, colour and typographic variants are developed, which to the greatest extent possible allow the desired identity and image to be established in the first phase. This phase concludes with the selection of an appropriate sign solution.

3) The next phase is the launch and presentation of the new logo and the development of an integrated graphic image, which presupposes the adoption of the communication platforms of the new corporate image, the production of materials in the new identity and the external and internal launch. As regards the launch, it should be noted that a company has only one opportunity to present its change and it must, as a rule, do so in a very visible way. Otherwise, the change is inconspicuous or, at best, hardly noticeable and therefore the entire financial investment is null and void.

4) The final phase is the implementation of the corporate identity, which requires the adoption of a schedule and budget for implementation, the consultancy and implementation of the identity on all elements of the identity, and the creation of basic sample sheets for buildings, signage, printed materials, advertising, uniforms, etc. The final stage of this phase, and of the project as a whole, is the production of a control manual, the appointment of a cpg administrator and the performance measurement of the corporate identity programme, together with measures to eliminate any communication noise.

Elements of CI

The most important element of the corporate identity is the graphic symbol, which, thanks to its unique ability to transcend linguistic barriers, is becoming a central element of a company’s communication. There are several paths to a sign that represents your company in the way you want. They are more or less complex. They can be the result of a momentary inspiration or a conceptual approach. In any case, they are based on the contextual framework defined by the strategic starting points in the first phase of the development of the cgp image.

How to identify a good quality graphic sign? The most important factor in sign perception is the “good form” rule, which, based on the findings of Gestalt psychologists, assumes that humans have a tendency to perceive simplified forms, or a tendency to perceive smooth, closed and regular forms. A good sign must have the following characteristics in addition to having an appropriate communicative value: it must be simple, uniform, clear, regular, memorable and legible. As a general rule, it should not be burdened with too much detail beyond the level of typical viewing conditions. All of the above characteristics of signs come into play particularly under extreme conditions of perception – short exposures, poor lighting, movement, competitive environments that reduce attention, etc.

The choice of colours is very important from a cost point of view in the implementation phase of the CI. The CIusually encodes a carrier colour (an example is Mercator with red), and one or more secondary colours (Merkur – yellow, green; McDonalds – red, yellow; Spar – red, green, etc.). Symbolically, the colours symbolise the desired market positions to be achieved by the CI.

Technically, colours are determined on the basis of different colour scales. These scales are dedicated to the specific technique of applying the ink to the printed material. In conventional offset printing, colours are thus determined on the basis of offset colour scales, where colour effects are achieved by printing four basic colours – cyan, magenta, yellow and black. If we want to save money when printing, say, business cards or letterheads, and if we want to reduce the colour deviation from the prescribed colours, then we opt for the Pantone colour scale. These colours, which are mixed according to the recipe, generally ensure greater colour consistency. However, we can only print each individual colour, which can save quite a bit of money on smaller print runs.

RAL colour charts are used for room painting, including foils and adhesives. Compared to offset or pantone colour charts, the selection of these colours is very modest, but this results in a smaller deviation from the prescribed colour variants.

The overall graphic image of your company

Corporate identity is a complex process. Leave it to the experts. Don’t delay and contact us today