What You Need To Design and Create a Basic Corporate Identity Package

What does your business card say about you? What kind of presence are you establishing with your customer when they open invoices you have mailed? A well-designed corporate identity package is vital for successfully broadcasting a business' image to its customers at a glance.

Several elements go into a corporate identity package, namely color business cards, letterhead printing, and custom envelopes. Some clients may require postcards or labels as well. Effective design will give a business the advantage of a strong representation with their customers even in their absence.

Beginning the Design - Know the client
For yourself or a client, the first step is to gather knowledge about the business and the customers. Is the business service in manufacturing or a corporate field? professional, manufacturing, etc? Is the customer base well-established? What is the public perception of the business and/or industry in general? Who are the competitors? Is there a stationery already in use?

If your client does not have a logo, designing a logo may become part of the corporate identity package. Make yourself familiar with the intended uses for the materials as this can influence the choices to be made on the various components of the letterhead, envelopes, and business cards.

Creating the Design - Elements to consider
Once you understand the purpose the corporate identity package will be serving for the company, you are ready to start selecting the components to use in your design. Budget may be the most important factor affecting your design. Other factors are font, paper, logo, how many colors, etc. Your client may have predetermined a color(s) and/or logo to be used.

You must also decide what information is to be included in each element: company name, representative name, title, address, phone number, mobile number, fax number, email address, web site, etc. Begin formatting and layout with the smallest element, the business card, and move on to letterhead printing and other pieces from there. Be careful to maintain the uniformity of your design throughout all the facets of the process.

Prepared format Design - Pre-printed paper and templates
One way to simplify the design process is by integrating pre-printed paper or a template into the design. These tools can be a valuable asset when working within the confines of a restricted budget to provide your client with a great design. With the background in place, you can now drop in the logo and information using the fonts and colors that have been chosen. Remember to pay close attention to uniformity throughout all facets of the corporate identity package, especially when using a pre-printed paper or a template.

Practice your Design - Build your portfolio
One way to prepare for working with clients is to create a corporate identity package for a fictional business. These can be added to your design portfolio to attract potential clients in addition to honing your skills. Check your work for clear, easy to read information, uniformity in the various components of the package, and a design that gives customers a powerful depiction of your client at a quick glance.