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Newsletter Archives
Identify Identity:
Continuity in Communications
What
is an organization’s identity and why is it important to visual
communications? Wikipedia defines
“Corporate Identity” as follows:
The "persona" of an
organization which is designed to accord with and facilitate the
attainment of objectives, and is usually visibly manifested by way of
branding and the use of trademarks.
In general, this amounts
to a logo and supporting components commonly assembled within a set of
guidelines. These guidelines govern how the identity is applied and
confirm approved color palettes, typefaces, page layouts and other such
methods of maintaining visual continuity and brand recognition across
all physical manifestations of the brand.
In short, your organization’s identity is
its public face – it’s “look” - and should be considered when you are
designing content for digital signage or presentations. You want to
put forward a united “brand” in both internal and external
communications.
Your content will improve drastically in
quality if you use a standardized array of colors, fonts and
styles. Side-by-side presentation of your messages will automatically
blend and please the eye if you are choosing from a predetermined set of
design elements.
This doesn’t mean the end of uniqueness and
creativity. Bring in outside designs and graphics that complement and
offset identity components for greater impact. You can play with layouts
and craft interesting, effective communications while incorporating a
few standard themes.
Many organizations publish identity
guidelines that you can reference. If you don’t have access to
guidelines - some common sense goes a long way.
Consider the following identity questions
before designing your content:
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Do I want or need to include my
organization’s logo?
-
If so, make sure you have a quality copy
of the logo to work with.
-
If your copy has a color background
behind the logo, you will need to eliminate it or design to that
color.
-
Someone in your organization has a
high-resolution, clean copy of the logo – try the marketing
department.
-
You should use
caution when incorporating logos that will be displayed on plasma
screens. Ensure you alter the placement of the logos on various
bulletins to avoid image retention.
-
Does my organization have a standard
color palette?
-
Start with the PMS and equivalent RGB
colors of your logo. Again, the marketing team can provide this
information.
-
Your designs can include other colors
besides the logo colors. Entities often have a color palette that
complements the primary logo colors.
-
Check the guidelines or develop a
limited selection of six to eight colors (including logo colors)
that harmonize with each other.
-
What fonts does my organization use as
part of their identity package?
-
You can still use fun fonts to make your
communications exciting, but remember to incorporate approved text
styles where relevant.
-
Remember to use a limited number of
fonts when designing a single visual message. (See our
visual rules article for more.)
Some organizations will have a graphics
library that you can choose from and their Internet or Intranet sites
can be a good resource for photos and graphics that have already passed
the approval process. If you’re selecting backgrounds from a library,
consider using those that complement your color palette, or have your
favorites tinted to match your color system.
Over time, you can
“train” users to look for colors related to specific types of
information. For example – blue backgrounds relate to HR information,
red might be related to facility security and green may reference
important announcements. This level of standardization helps your
audience more efficiently locate relevant content.
Using approved identity components and
mixing in complimentary design elements will improve the quality of your
visual messaging while solidifying your organization’s identity with
viewers – two communications goals easily met with a little preparation
and creativity.
Copyright 2006. Tech Electronics, Inc. (TEi). All rights reserved.
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