Very often all these design terms can drive a person crazy, so just to clear things up, here is a general guide to what all those buzz words mean, how they can help develop your business, and how Arcaeda can provide these services for you.
Logo:
A logo is the visual emblem of your company and is the most essential item in your visual arsenal.
A logo should sum up your company in a number of ways;
- it should reflect the emotional feel of your company (classic, wild, conservative, daring, strong, etc)
- it should convey a feeling of what your company does
- it should be timeless (does not go out of fashion)
- it should be able to be scale to fit on anything from a business card to an airplane (who knows where you will expand to!)
- It should be original and stand out from your competitors
- it should be understandable to your target market
Corporate Identity:
A corporate identity is the physical application of your logo across a range of stationary items, such as:
- Letterhead
- Follow on paper (each page after your letterhead in a document)
- Business card
- With Compliments slip (usually a DL sized slip upon which short messages are hand written for your clients)
- DL envelope (210mm x 99mm envelope to fit an A4 piece of paper folded twice)
- Any other printed item needed
Brand Development:
A brand is the complete visual package that is presented to the outside world, and also to the staff inside, and is centered around the logo design.
It is a set of guidelines that govern how the logo is to be used (sizing, positioning on a page, alternative uses, etc), what colours are to be used for any secondary material like letterheads, business cards, envelopes, etc, what typefaces are to be used, how the website is to look and feel, and often, even what materials are to be used like paper stocks, cardboard for packaging, fabrics for clothes, etc.
Brand development is more than just design, it often involves extensive research into the psychology behind the company and the audience that company reaches out to, and usually includes the writing and design of 'Brand Manuals' which explain the brand guidelines to anyone who may need to design for that brand in the future.