Branding and Corporate Identity
Differences between concepts
Within the world of marketing and advertising there are terms that are often misleading so it is necessary to distinguish these differences. One of them is that between branding and corporate identity, which are sometimes used as synonyms and in reality they are not.
When we speak of branding we refer to the complete definition of a signature. That is, who is it, what it represents and who is it addressed to. It would be the emotional relationship that is established between the firm and its target audience.
If, for example, we think of a firm known as Apple, the iPhone, Mac, Ipod, design … etc come to mind and we know that it is a company that sells technology. However, with this definition we are left only in what it does.
Knowing who Apple is implies knowing what it does, how it does it, under what concepts, for what purposes, with what trajectory, what its goals and values are. Defining a firm consists of knowing it beyond what it does and this is what branding does, generating a firm-consumer connection, thanks to the firm’s values.
One of the elements that make up the branding of a firm is the corporate identity that reflects all that visual element with which the company is shown to the public, but it is just one more element of everything that makes up the branding.
The Corporate Identity is built through a combination of the tangible elements used to visually identify it (logo, graphic line, corporate colors, typography …)
We will apply these rules in all variants (product design, packaging, advertising, institutional stationery, promotional elements, digital graphic pieces …), always in accordance with the guidelines established in the Style Manual, which must be followed by foot of the letter.
Carlos Hernando [Graphic Designer]