word-of-mouth, and so forth. If customers like you and your company, they’ll find you online.
Your company identity consists of more than just your company name. The colors you choose, the typeface you use, and what kind of tagline and logo you develop (if any) convey a message to potential customers. Right from the beginning of your business, you should consider what message you want to send and select a corporate identity appropriate for the type of business you’re starting. You should then use those elements of your corporate identity consistently throughout all your marketing and communication materials.
Logos
All of us are familiar with logos: the Nike “swoosh,” McDonald’s golden arches, Apple Computer’s apple-with-a-bite, Target’s red bull’s-eye. A logo is an image associated with your company, giving the public another way to remember you.
Visual images make your company more memorable. There’s a reason for this: People learn things and remember things in many different ways.
When prospective customers see your logo as well as see or hear your company’s name, they’re using more of their brains to process the information—both the verbal and the visual kind. So you make more of a mental impact when people associate you with both words and images.
A good logo conveys something positive about your company. The Target logo, for instance, is simple and elegant. It tells customers that Target stores are where they’ll find exactly what they want at exactly the right price. The bull’s-eye logo also suggests competitiveness, accuracy, and efficiency, traits that shoppers—and shareholders—will appreciate:
If you don’t have the money to have a logo designed, an inexpensive way to add a visual element to your business name is to just add geometric elements: lines, squares, diamonds, and so on. In my first business— business consulting—I used three sideways triangles, suggesting to prospective clients that I would help them move their business forward:
A logo doesn’t have to be a drawing or illustration—you can make an “illustration” of just words. This is called a “logotype,” and it can be very effective. Think of Coca-Cola:
When we were developing a logo for this content company—Planning-Shop—we wanted an image that would convey the message that products from PlanningShop enable people to “complete” their business planning projects. We decided that the concept of the last piece of a puzzle would visually convey that feeling of completion. Here’s what we came up with:
Use the “Creating My Identity” worksheet on page 38 to make notes or drawings of possible logos for your business.
Taglines
Many companies use a motto or tagline either to better explain the nature of the business or to create a feeling about the company or product.
A tagline helps customers remember what is unique about your business:
Taglines don’t have to be “catchy” to be memorable to your target audience. “Manufacturers of packing materials for technology products” may seem boring but be very effective if you make and sell boxes for computers. This lets your potential customers know—and reminds current customers—that you specialize in exactly what they need.
Taglines can become the basis of your advertising and marketing pieces. Of course, you would use your tagline in all your advertising. But even if you don’t have much of a marketing budget, you can use your tagline on your business cards, packaging, and stationery, even at the end of emails.
You don’t have to have a tagline, and you certainly don’t have to choose one before you even open your doors. But developing a tagline helps you clarify what makes your business special and enables you to sum up your competitive position in just a few words.
Colors
Many people start their businesses without giving colors much thought, and yet most of us intend to use some colors in our business—in our decor, on our business cards, brochures, packaging, website, and so on. What often happens is that you end up using one color for one thing (let’s say a brochure), another color for something else (for your stationery, perhaps) and yet another color elsewhere (maybe your website).
The result? You lose the opportunity to develop a strong brand image for your company and perhaps even risk confusing your customer.
Instead, come up with a consistent use of color—your “color palette”— to give you another tool that reminds customers who you are and conveys a feeling about your company.
Check It Out
The Color Marketing Group forecasts color trends for the next 12-18 months for a variety of industries. www.colormarketing.org
Some colors are associated with certain feelings. Blue is considered calming and reassuring, so banks and financial institutions often use blue.
CREATING MY IDENTITY
Use the space below to begin developing your corporate identity. You may want to draw pictures, as well as use words and phrases, to develop the look, feel, and message you want to convey. You will continue this process in Week Six.
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