Corporate graphic standards are critically important for establishing and reinforcing a company’s brand. Consistent presentation through every element of communications will solidify your brand identity in customers’ minds. Unifying the look and feel of materials throughout a company clarifies the connections and synergies that already exist in your company and presents a strong, cohesive identity to the outside world. While consistency is the goal, some design flexibility is required. Absolute consistency should be present in your fonts, corporate colors and materials such as stationery and business cards. But when marketing consulting firms design collateral, broadcast and electronic materials, they should promote consistency while avoiding inflexible formats. Well-designed graphic standards create a strong identity while allowing for a widely varied amount of information, styles of art or photography, or, in the case of electronic materials, new technologies and effects. Such standards become essential elements for your business to business marketing strategy. Standardization unifies communications to reflect and contribute to the strength of the corporate brand. But corporate standards should not enforce consistency to the point of sameness. While you want your brand to remain steady in the mind of your customers, you do not want to restrict creativity in presenting ideas, products or services. A graphic standard also should not prevent divisions or business units from developing a distinctive look within approved formats. To begin implementation of a corporate graphic standard, unique considerations need to be made. The most important consideration should be the corporate logo, the first graphic element customers and potential customers will see and what they will remember. To create a lasting impact, standards for the colors and application of your logo need to be clear and inflexible once determined. As such, the standards must be carefully developed. Begin by considering all possible applications, such as literature, websites, binder covers or signage. Will you use drop shadows or an embossed effect or use patterns or foils? When applying the logo online, will it animate, morph or otherwise distort the logo for visual effect? For signs and vehicle lettering, a standard should be established for the colors and suppliers of the approved vinyl, paint and Plexiglas® materials. In addition to the logo, other important aspects to consider when developing corporate standards are the format of printed literature and a corporate vision for advertising. Ask graphic design experts for help when creating your standards. They will assist you in presenting consistent and creative marketing efforts across a wide array of media.
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You want to ensure your marketing efforts remain uniform without restricting creativity.
Rhonda Ryerson is a PR Specialist at TriComB2B, a Vandalia-based marketing company that focuses on technical writing for B2B marketing campaigns.
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