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Often referred to as organizational identity, corporate identity helps organizations to answer questions like “who are we?” and “where are we going?” Corporate identity also allows consumers to denote their sense of belonging with particular human aggregates or groups. ^[1]

Visual identity history[edit]

Nearly 7,000 years ago, Transylvanian potters inscribed their personal marks on the earthenware they created. If one potter made better pots than another, naturally, his mark held more value than his competitors’. Ancient religious sects created some of the most recognized logos: the Christian cross, the Judaic Star of David, and the Islamic crescent moon. In addition, Kings and nobles in medieval times had clothing, armor, flags, shields, tableware, entryways, and manuscript bindings that all bore coats of arms and royal seals. The symbols depicted a lord’s lineage, aspirations, familial virtues, as well as memoirs to cavalry, infantry, and mercenaries of who they were fighting for on the battlefields. ^[2]

A trademark became a symbol of individuals’ professional qualifications to perform a particular skill by the 1400s. For example, the caduceus on a physician’s sign signified that the doctor was a well-trained practitioner of the medical arts. Simple graphics such as the caduceus carried so much socioeconomic and political weight by the 1500s, that government offices were established throughout Europe to register and protect the growing collection of trademarks used by numerous craft guilds.^[3]

The concept of visually trademarking one’s business spread heavily during the Industrial Revolution. The shift of business in favor of nonagricultural enterprise caused business, and corporate consciousness, to boom. Logo use became a mainstream part of identification, and over time, it held more power than being a simple identifier. Some logos held more value than others, and served more as assets than symbols.^[4]

Logos are now the visual identifiers of corporations. They became components of corporate identities by communicating brands and unifying messages. The evolution of symbols went from a way for a king to seal a letter, to how businesses establish their credibility and sell everything from financial services to hamburgers.^[5] Therefore, although the specific terms "corporate image" and "brand identity" didn’t enter business or design vocabulary until the 1940s, within twenty years they became key elements to business success.^[6]

Media and corporate identity[edit]

As technology and mass media have continued to develop at exponential rates, the role of the media in business increases as well. The media has a large effect on the formation of corporate identity by reinforcing a company's image and reputation. Global television networks and the rise of business news have caused the public representation of organizations to critically influence the construction and deconstruction of certain organizational identities more than ever before.

Many companies proactively choose to create media attention and use it as a tool for identity construction and strengthening, and also to reinvent their images under the pressure of new technology. The media also has the power to produce and diffuse meanings a corporation holds, therefore giving stakeholders a negotiation of the organizational identity. ^[7]

Brand USA[edit]

Former Secretary of State Collin Powell once said, “We’re selling a product. That product we are selling is democracy.” ^[8] Although the United States of America is not a corporation, it has still has organizational components and has a certain image and identity. The US is founded on certain principles, values, and beliefs, and at the same time, has a diverse and widely recognizable popular culture. Because of distinct founding principles, and the way our culture operates, the US too can be observed as a "brand."

Images and identity do not always have to be planned and built by an organization, they also can be attributed to an organization by others' interpretations. During the Cold War, Coca Cola, Marilyn Monroe, and Baywatch were booming in popularity and became obsessions of popular American culture. These images portrayed confidence and superiority in American media, therefore the USA seemed more secure and superior during the war. ^[9] With the growth of the media, popular culture and celebrities still seem to define America in certain ways. Images of Brad Pitt and Mickey Mouse per say are easily associated to the US. The US has evolved into a nation with industries focused solely on celebrity gossip, TV shows, music, and blockbuster hits, making the US a highly-mediated nation with a strong focus on celebrity.

In addition to the “celebrity” identity factor, there have been more strategic and patriotic images used to re-brand the country as well. After September 11th, Bush administration initiated the re-brand of the United States from “global bully” to a “compassionate hegemon.” ^[10] The vast majority of American citizens contributed to the act of patriotism by placing American flag bumper stickers on their cars, purple ribbons on trees in their yards, or hanging flags in their windows, all to recreate the feeling and image of nationwide pride and support.

References[edit]

^ Chouliaraki, 2010
^ Brown, 1998
^ Brown, 1998
^ Bercume, 2009
^ Bercume, 2009
^ Brown, 1998
^ Chouliaraki, 2010
^ Chouliaraki, 2010
^ Chouliaraki, 2010
^ Chouliaraki, 2010

Visual identity history[edit]

Media and corporate identity[edit]

Brand USA[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]