On many websites now, you can create an avatar to represent you. An avatar is basically a caricature that you can tweak to look as much like you as possible, without being an actual picture. As you chat or send emails, the people with whom you are communicating will see your avatar. When you are talking to someone whom you have never met, it helps them get an idea of what you look like.

Your avatar, however, is not you. It is only a representation of you.

Keep that thought in mind as you embark on starting a business. One of your primary goals will be to create a corporate identity; to establish what your business is in the business world. At some point, you will also create a logo for your business. These two things (corporate identity and logo) are not the same thing, though they are often considered as such. Let me explain.

Corporate Identity

Your corporate identity is your business. Everything that is projected by your business, taken as a whole, is your corporate identity. Every image that your company projects, every ad that you design, every catalog printing that you distribute, every booklet printing that you send out in your company’s name: all of this makes up your corporate identity.

Whenever a customer thinks of your company, the image that he or she sees is, to that person, your corporate identity. Every decision you make, from the most important to the most mundane, contributes to your overall corporate identity. It is not something that is created overnight, but is instead cultivated throughout the life of your business.

In the example of the avatar above, your corporate identity is you. Your logo, however, is like the avatar. It is only a representation of you.

Logo

Your logo is only a part of your corporate identity. If you have a good logo, then customers will think of it when they think of your company. They will immediately recognize your logo. Still, it is only a part of the overall image of your company, which is your corporate identity.

Your logo, if designed correctly by a professional company, is your corporate identity all wrapped up into one little image. Through colors and fonts and design features, your logo is made to project the purpose and drive of your company. It is supposed to convey all of these things to customers, simply by being on a sign or on the pages of your catalog printing.

Your corporate identity is something that you have to constantly work on and revise. You must always be conscious of how you are perceived on the market. Your logo, however, is designed with these things in mind, but is then left to do its work. You will likely want to change your logo from time to time, but for the most part it remains static.

Do not let your customers confuse your logo with your overall identity. The logo is only a small part of the big picture.