Nowadays, the importance of managing corporate image is being rapidly increased in order to have a competitive advantages over rivals. The desirable image recognized by the general public and customer results a synergy effect which can be helpful for the corporate success. In this vein, the importance of Corporate Identification(CI), as a means to integrate corporate image, has been increased year by year. Major corporations have increasingly adopted their own corporate identity program which offers consistent principles for harmonizing the corporate resources including graphic design, industrial design, environmental design and others.
This study aims to identify how corporations can establish desirable corporate image through the selection of basic elements (symbol, logotype, corporate color and others). One of the major reasons for the study is that the selecting procedure and evaluating criteria for basic elements are not well organized. As the first step, the nature of corporate culture, corporate image and corporate identification has been studied through the course of literature survey. Then, a comprehensive field study including questionnaire and in-depth interview has organized to identify the current states of corporate identification in major 42 Korean corporations and 7 visual communication design consultants. Finally, the study suggests systematic process for establishing basic system of corporate identity program.
Major findings of the study can be summarized as follows : First, Most of Korean corporations participated in the study believe that corporate identification can be a vehicle for the success of their business. Second, the relationship between corporate identity and corporate image is classified 4 types according to the state of their goodness. A thorough understanding of present corporate situation and their strong and weak points is very helpful for a relevant strategy for one desirable type. Third, A list of selecting criteria for major basic elements developed in the study would be useful for both corporations as well as design consultants in the process of developing a corporate identity program.
