Corporate Design in 10 Unique Ways

by | Branding

In the long-winding journey of building a business, you’ve probably heard many recycled terms such as “brand recognition” and “differentiators.”

But there’s one term that presides them all, the mother lode of opportunities—corporate design. 

Corporate design is not just traditional graphic design; it’s an umbrella term that covers both your branding identity and strategy.

It’s about the artistic representation of your logo, typography and colour schemes coupled with your design strategy, which embodies the culture of your brand.

Everything to do with who you are as a company and how you deliver your message to customers. 

Sufficed to say, it’s a pretty big deal. 

If you’re feeling lost on how you ought to approach corporate design, take a deep breath, sit back with a warm cup of tea and read on. 

What are some unique ways to go about it? 

How you choose to go about your corporate design can be a lot of pressure, especially since it has the power to define who you are as a whole, why you do what you do and where your vision will take you.

Therefore, your designs should align with your brand’s personality and have clear reasoning as to why it’s created that way. 

But how does one accomplish such a unique corporate design that it puts you two steps ahead of competitors and the world in the palm of your hand? 

First of all, you need to define your brand.

We’ve covered the fundamentals of branding and why it’s vital to Malaysia’s digital economy, but for a better understanding of building your corporate design, let’s go back to the roots. 

Before delving headfirst into the design and strategy aspects, head to the drawing board and identify several critical elements: 

What are some unique ways to go about it
  • Who you are as a company
  • What are your mission and principles to stand by 
  • What makes you the best option

Once you’ve nailed these down, it’ll be easier to develop a corporate design that’s in line with your brand. 

1. Give your brand an archetype

Here’s a fun take to some corporate soul-searching that can help you define your brand.

The concept of an archetype involves defining your brand based on discernible characters from famous fables or novels.

Many renowned brands have perpetuated this branding strategy to make their target audience remember them easily.

For example, Microsoft’s image is the boy next door, whereas Apple is recognised as the visionary. 

2. Be socially aware and responsible

This is a useful PR tool to give your organisation some humanistic and altruistic qualities.

Having a sense of awareness and responsibility towards social issues can show that you have the right attitude, gaining respect from your audience.

You can do this by sporadically donating profits to charitable causes, or sponsor initiatives that help improve less fortunate lives. 

3. Have a strong sense of corporate culture

A significant part of branding is about your consumers and how you wish to be perceived in the marketplace.

However, the remainder of your corporate design strategy should be about you and your team.

What better way to focus on the innards of your firm than forming a strong corporate culture?

How your employees feel working with you matters just as much as your connection with your customers.

Are there any strong values and goals you want your team to get behind?

Is your brand the kind that encourages new ideas? 

The culture behind your business plays a bigger role than you might think—it’s the backbone of your brand and affects the products and services you produce.

You will do well in achieving the best corporate design when there are a purpose and strategy in place for your corporate culture.

READ MORE: 10 Tips to Create the Best Corporate Logo for Your Business

4. Decide on a colour palette

Other things we’ve gone over are the colour and logo psychology of any brand.

Allow us to elaborate on how people associate feelings with colours.

It’s not suggestive; it’s actual science. Here’s an overview of how different colours influence us:

  • Red: loud, aggressive, youthful, exciting, passion.
  • Orange: playful, friendly, exciting.
  • Yellow: happiness, cheerful, fun, accessible-for-all.
  • Green: nature, money, eco-friendly. 
  • Blue: stability, professional, trustworthy; often appealing to a wide demographic.
  • Purple: luxury, royalty, high-end.
  • Black: classy, sophisticated, modern, sleek.

The colour scheme of your overall corporate design can influence people’s perception of your brand in the marketplace, so be sure to choose wisely. 

5. Choose the right typography

Next, we have typography, which is as important a decision as colour.

The font you incorporate in your logo, website, or anything related will elicit specific emotions as well. 

  • Serif fonts are a safe and reliable choice, judging by traditional uses. These typefaces give your brand a classic feel. One example of a timeless serif font is none other than Times New Roman.
  • Sans serif fonts (i.e. Helvetica) don’t have the tiny anchors on the end of their letters as serif fonts do. Their smooth edges give off a more modern and sleek vibe to your designs. 
  • Script typography mimics cursive handwriting, making for a great choice if you want your corporate design to emanate luxury and sophistication. An example of this is the Allura font. 
  • Display fonts deviate from the rest, as each font is unique on its own. For example, think about the ‘P’ in the Harry Potter logo resembling a lightning bolt. You can use these fonts to make an unconventional statement and set yourself apart. 

6. Evaluate social media strategy

You either get with the times or fall behind.

Nowadays, an online presence is a large factor in growing your business, especially for startups and SMEs.

Social media platforms like Facebook offer irresistible opportunities to tap into a large pool of prospective clients.

Putting thought and heart into your social media pages can help you build a community of users.

By developing meaningful connections with your customers, you can better understand their behaviour and formulate marketing strategies to engage them. 

7. Pay attention to packaging design

If you’re selling goods, its packaging should be attractive and aligned with your corporate design.

Consumers are first drawn to a product’s packaging before anything else, so it’s your prerogative to make the graphic design work memorable.

Never neglect your packaging, because a mismatch in its concept with your product can lead to a massive loss of customers. 

8. Create merchandise 

Most people love merchandise, especially when it’s from their beloved brands.

Creating official merchandise for your brand can incite excitement in customers. Invest in things like t-shirt prints, mugs, caps, bottles, bags and so on.

This provides an incentive for customers as they might receive merchandise with each purchase of your product. 

9. Reach out to influencers

We live in a world of influencers with millions of people on their tails.

Influencer marketing has become the most popular type of marketing, which is why you should get in on it.

By working with the right influencer, they can advertise your product or service in a way that your message is appropriately communicated to the right audiences.  

10. Make videos

Making videos related to your brand can capture the interest of audiences, prompting them to comment and share your content.

Try using targeted videos to educate people on what you’re about, the benefits of your product or service, and why they should buy from you. 

Conclusion

Corporate design is the foundation of any thriving business.

Now that you have a good idea on how to build it, don’t forget that it should feel true to your brand and generate a lasting impact on your audience. 

Conclusion

Need help moulding your corporate identity?

Walk Production is a digital and creative agency that provides all the services you may be seeking to build a unique corporate design.

Let us help pave your way with effective copywriting, content marketing, branding design, blog writing, search engine optimisation (SEO), the works.

Our talented team of designers, business consultants and writers would love to be a part of your journey to prosperity. 

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