Managing Your Identity

Managing your identity can seem hopeless at times. Here is a primer to assist you in creating great graphics that work.
Flexible vs. Static

1. If the company is new is it best to make sure that your brand is “flexible” meaning it can be modified to accommodate changes within the infrastructure of the company. Typically changes such as adding of new departments, removal of departments, or general changes in focus.
2. If the company has been around for quite a while and has it’s focus nailed down then its time to create a graphical element that is more authoritative and defining or static would be the proper term in this case.

Capturing your clients ethos

Now keeping these few guidelines in mind, how do we go about “creating” said graphic? There are a number of things to take into account on the creative side of things and its important to really listen to the client as you are now attempting to create what they “see” not what you see per say. Your clients may not always know that they need but you need to extract what they think it will look like “to them”. This is one way we capture the “ethos” of the company within the graphical element.

Here is an example, we did some suggestions for a firm in London. The product was called system angel which is a program that remotely oversees networks for security purposes.

My information for the project was something blue, manly, and of course would suggest an angel overseeing a network.

logo is called system angel and is located here.

Take note the graphical element is flexible or could be modified to suit various changes within the company. This could be done with various line work or the addition of further elements, to re-working of the font, which is in this case intentionally soft.

Keep in mind there is usually much to consider when creating a brand for someone such as target market, location, length of time in business. This should however serve as a good starting point.

Nigel Lew is the Owner and E-Commerce Project Manager of Ultimatech Computer Consultancy located in Aspen Colorado. You may re-print this article by leaving his name in tact.