Corporate Identity and Design Firm Selection Guide

Corporate Identity Systems and Website Design

One of the first steps in the life of a company is deciding upon a name and a logo
for a business card and investor presentations. After the company is
established, it becomes necessary to define the look and feel of the company’s
website, collateral, stationery and other materials. At this point, the company
name, logo and all other elements of the corporate identity system become the
foundation of a branding campaign, intended or not. Many young companies
make the mistake of treating these as discrete or purely creative activities rather
than viewing them as an identity system, the first step in the implementation of its
marketing strategy.

The foundation for the marketing strategy and all marketing activities is a
positioning strategy that clearly identifies the target market segment. Once that
has been done, the customers in those segments must be fully characterized or
profiled. After this is completed the company should have a clear understanding
of its customer profile so that a corporate identity system can be developed that
speaks clearly and compellingly to the interests and values of those customers.

In reality, entrepreneurial teams often commit to one or all of those activities

without clearly thinking through what they want the company name, logo and
complete identity system to convey to their potential customers and other market
influencers. Companies that have taken this ad hoc approach will want to update
or revise their corporate identity elements prior to formally launching the
company or initial product. Review all elements of the corporate identity system,
making sure that they cross reference and support each other, and, most
importantly, speak to customers, current and potential. A carefully crafted
company name, logo and identity can play a significant role in the company’s
brand building activities. The website, for example, is a primary source of
information for all audiences and will have a major influence on impressions
formed by potential customers, investors and partners who have not had any
personal contact with the company’s executive team.

A. Corporate Identity System Planning

Think about what your target market segment will find interesting and appealing.
List their interests and characteristics. Then decide upon the corresponding
values you want to see the company’s brand stand for over time. How do you
want the company to be perceived? Technology-centric? Corporate?
Scientific? Thoughtful? Brash? Industrial? This information provides the
foundation of the creative brief for the design agency team. They will use it to
help ensure that what they create accurately reflects the brand attributes and
values you have defined and speaks directly to potential customers.

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Take care that you do not date the identity system by being too trendy (unless, of
course that is a value of the potential customers….) or too cute, or too anything
that might qualify as part of a passing fad (think “.com”). Choose an identity
system that is extensible into the future, not too tied to the recent past. Make
sure that you do not rely on design clichés such as the currently popular running
man, or swooshes, or trendy colors and fonts. Sometimes it is difficult to identify
a name or logo that is entirely unique, but it is not difficult to identify those that
are part of large group of similar looking or sounding ones.

Remember that the entire identity system must be used in a variety of

environments, form factors and materials. It must be flexible. Good logos work
on a business card, tradeshow booth, outdoor building signage, stationery,
newsletters, t-shirts, faxes; in advertisements, website design, product
packaging, and most importantly, in black and white or color.

How much should a corporate identity system cost? Depending upon the
agency, geographic market, how you specify the deliverables (all at once, or
implemented sequentially), it could be as little as $15K or as much as $50K or
more.

Your corporate identity system is one of the earliest and most important
marketing decisions that you will make. Invest the time and money required to
do it right as soon as you can.

Website Planning
A company’s web presence, and thus its website, has become an integral part of
its marketing strategy. In most cases, the website will be the company’s earliest
and primary means of conveying the corporate positioning and branding
strategies, product information and other vital information to a variety of market
participants, whether they are potential or current customers, employees,
partners, or press/analysts. Although in the company’s early stage the website
may be only brochure ware, it should rapidly evolve to be a way of extending the
company’s relationships with employees, partners, customers and
press/analysts.

Because of the importance of the web site as a strategic business and marketing
tool, there is an exploding demand for web design services. The entire business
is rapidly changing, both from the business model and design technologies and
tools perspective. Selecting a design firm should be a carefully considered
decision. Before selecting a firm, you should determine the objectives and
audiences of the site, both short and long term, and match the objectives with the
firm’s capabilities. Firms should be selected based on their experience with the
type and complexity of sites similar to yours.

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How much should you expect to spend on the development of a website? Again,
depending upon the agency, geographic market, and your specific requirements,
a basic website could be as little as $20K or as much as $100K or more, for a
complex site with forms, demos, video/flash and other interactive elements.

Design agencies today often provide services that include creating corporate
identity systems, defining web site look and feel and complete website
architecture, programming and maintenance. It is important to determine
whether your company will eventually require a full range of services and choose
a design agency accordingly. Even though you may decide to take a phased
approach to the implementation of the corporate identity, especially in a website,
the design elements must be defined from the beginning in a manner that will
work in all intended future formats.

Design Agency Selection Team: VP Marketing, VP/Director IS, Marketing

Director

Here are key questions that should be addressed during the design agency
search and selection process:

Capabilities
1. What is the size of your firm? Number of permanent employees vs. number
of contractors?

2. What are the backgrounds of your employees? Do you have both design
expertise and technical expertise? Which do you ‘lead’ with?

3. What is your experience working with companies like ours (size, maturity,
culture, market, etc.)?

4. Can you provide examples of your ability to understand technology and

communicate it in a clear and accessible manner?

5. Provide three current or recent client references with requirements similar to

ours.

6. Do you offer a “start-up” basic corporate identity, business system and

website package?

7. What is the full range of services provided by your agency?

8. Provide us with examples of corporate identity systems and URLs of websites

that illustrate your design capabilities.

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Project Strategy Development
9. Does your firm have defined corporate identity and site planning processes?
How do you work with clients to determine planning fundamentals such as
objectives, audience, core messages, website architecture and look and feel?

10. How do you ensure that a company’s positioning and branding strategies are
properly conveyed in the corporate identity system, website architecture,
design and content?

Project Management/Working Relationship

10. How long does a typical project take? How is it managed? What are typical
milestones? Is it possible to develop the corporate identity system in one phase
and then architect and build the website in another?

11. Team structure. Who would we work with? Project leader or key contact?
What % of their time will be committed to our project?

12. How do you manage on-going maintenance of the website? What is the
typical turnaround time for changes or new sections?

13. How do you prefer to work with our internal staff? With our hosting service?

Specialized Experience

14. What are your general recommendations on:

-Home Page concepts
-Navigation
-Page format and length
-Forms
-Search engines, knowledge bases
-Architecture, site maps
-Plug-ins – Flash, Real Audio, etc.
-Monitoring and measuring our site

15. What is your experience with the following programs, technologies or

processes?
-Demos, Video
-Registration, forms
-Channel/partner extranets
-Promo/contest sites
-Advertising/direct mail fulfillment
-Seminar/event on-line registration
-Technical support
-CRM/SFA system integration
-e-commerce
-On-line press kits, press room

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16. How should the website relate to, or be integrated with, other marketing
vehicles such as public relations, trade shows, collateral, advertising, channels,
promotions, etc.?

Billing and Fees

17. How do you bill for services? Is there a retainer or will we be billed by
project or on an hourly basis? If hourly, what are the rates of the various team
members and what will there roles be? If retainer, what if we don’t require any
services during the retainer period?

18. How are project fees approved? How are potential overages approved?

19. What do similar companies spend on corporate identity systems and web
site design services?

Other
20. Why have you parted ways with clients and visa versa?

Copyright © 2006, Rosemary Remacle, MarketFocus. All rights reserved.

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