CORPORATE IDENTITY-THE MYTH AND THE REALITY

Author(s): WALLY OLINS

Source: Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Vol. 127, No. 5272 (MARCH 1979), pp. 208-223
Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41372923
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 CORPORATE IDENTITY- THE MYTH
AND THE REALITY

I A paper by I
I WALLY OLINS II
Director
, Wolff , givento theSocietyon
OlinsLtd.,DesignConsultants
Wednesday 6thDecember 1978,withAlan Eden-Green ,
GeneralSecretary and Parliament
, Industry TrustLtd.,in theChair

The Chairman: First,I am verysorry that wellas fortheir a beginning

clients, ratherthan
Sir Leslie Smith,Chairman of BOC Inter- anend.
national,whowastohavetaken thechairtonight, Theunholy alliancebeganin1964after Wally
cannotbe withus. He hasunfortunately been hadserved withsomedistinction inanadvertis-
calledawayonurgent business andaskedmeto ingagency in,ofallplaces,India;andthehighly
convey hisapologies toyouandespecially toour successful jobthey didforBOCwasalmost their
speaker, whosecompany he alwaysenjoysand first. Theyhavebeenretained by BOC ever
whosecounselling healways values. since.
It is,in fact,thesecondoccasion thatI have To-daytherearefourpartners, anda large
stoodinforSirLeslieinthisroom.Thefirst was skilledsupport staff.Theyare no longerjust
toreceive onbehalf ofBOCa DukeofEdinburghgraphicdesigners;they design buildings,
awardfordesignmanagement, andthedesign furniture, products andpackaging andperhaps
weweremanaging wascreated byMichael Wolff surprisingly, whenyou considerthe usually
andWallyOlins. indigenous nature ofa corporateidentity,
they
If I claimanycredit at all in thisaffair,itis nowderivemorethanhalftheirbusiness from
thatI tooktheentrepreneurial riskofturning thecontinent ofEurope - notablyfrom Germany.
loosethese twowolves - whoinvariably appeared, In factthismulti-disciplinary kindofdesign
somewhat -
inWolf'sclothing consultancy,
disconcertingly, whilst notbeinguniqueto Wolff
on whatwas stilla prettyinstitutionalized Olins,although theyhaveundoubtedly been
company. among theleaders inthefield,
probablyisunique
I believedthatthecreation of a corporatetotheUK andissomething inwhich thisSociety
identitywasa beginning rather thananendandI cantakeconsiderable pride.
sawitas aninstrument ofchange. Andofallthe WallyOlinsis theonlydesign consultantthat
excellentpeopleI interviewed, therewasnone I knowwho'sneverhada designtraining. For
morelikelyto promote changethanthesetwo thatmatter I'venever known himdraw.Buthe
who weregivento challenging almostevery drawswithwords.He readhistory at Oxford
business convention thattheycameacross.In and he uses his knowledge of history as a
theweeksthatfollowed theirappointment as physicist useshis knowledge of mathematics.
consultants, it occurredto memorethanonce Youcanseeitinhisbook,recently publishedby
thattheonlychangemight be thatI wouldbe theDesignCouncil,TheCorporate Personality.
fired. The bookis likeitsauthor, witty,irreverent,
The factthatmyjobsurvived andthatBOC challenging, informative- and veryenjoyable,
hasvastly changed isdueinnosmallmeasure to j Nobody, in anykindofbusiness, canaffordto
MichaelandWallyandto thethinking within bewithout a copy! ButWally's kindofbusiness
BOC whichtheyhelpedtocatalyse. isa continuum andI shallbeverysurprised and
Butperhapsmoresignificant is thechange disappointed if tonight he does not develop
thathastakenplaceinWolff Olinsitself.They someofthethought-provoking ideashespawned
sawthatwhattheyweredoingwasforthem, as j inhisbook.
Thefollowing paper, which , wasthen
wasillustrated given.
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MARCHI979 - THEMYTHANDTHEREALITY
IDENTITY
CORPORATE

the 14thJuly1789 the Bastille France, thesymbols ofchange, theelimination

wasstormed. In September 1792the of theold regionalnames,thenewweights
ON Frenchmonarchy was abolished.In and measures,the new calendar,the new
January 1793Louis XVI wasexecuted.The anthems, titlesanduniforms, all emphasized
AncienRégimefell. thereality ofchangeand actedas a catalyst
Withina fewdaysofthestorming ofthe tothosewhoweremanaging thechange.
BastilletheTricolorwas seenon thestreets A fewyearslaterin another politicalcon-
of Paris- it soon replacedthe traditional vulsionin France, thingschangedonce
Fleurde Lys. In August1792theMarseil- again. To use the businessjargonof the
laise- a new nationalhymn - was heard. twentieth century, aftera boardroom struggle
The army'suniforms werealsochanged. The a newchiefexecutive emergedwithgrowth
government announceda seriesof whatwe planswhichmaketheefforts oftheAmerican
mightnow describeas local governmentconglomerates of the 1960slookfeebleand
boundarychanges.The historicregionsof halfhearted.Even theredoubtable Harold
Franceweresweptawayata stroke : Gascony, GeneenofITT hasnothing on Napoleon.
Provence, Brittany,
Bourgogne, Poitouwere Like anyreallygoodmanager, Napoleon
replacedby a seriesof Departments. The made the mostabundantuse of corporate
Revolutionary government was determined identity techniques toemphasize thechanges
totallyto obliterateone way of life and takingplaceunderhis direction.
replaceit withanother.They replacedthe He was a greatone forsymbolictitles.
traditional weightsand measureswithnew Initially he becameFirstConsul(thesecond
ones- whichnearlytwohundredyearslater and thirdconsulswereof no significance),
are makinga tentative appearancein this thenEmperor.He crownedhimselfat his
country.They startedan entirelynew ownCoronation. He creatednewKingsand
calendar.The YearOne beganon 19thSep- a newaristocracy ofPrincesandDukes.Even
tember1792,itwasfollowed byYearsTwo, to-daythe SwedishRoyal Familyis des-
Three and so on. They also changedthe cended froma NapoleonicMarshal. He
namesofthemonthsoftheyear - thesein- invented medalsand awards - including the
novations, unlikemany,didnotlast.Indeed Légion d'Honneur.He even devisednew
in its zeal theRevolution wentso faras to countrieslike the CisalpineRepublicand
replace God. Robespierrecelebratedthe GrandDuchyofWarsaw.Wherever hewent
worshipof the SupremeBeingin a former Napoleontook with him his own name,
churchnewlyredesigned and renamedthe styles,titles,legal codes, uniformsand
Pantheon - a buildingas unlikea traditional emblemswhichsymbolized to all whocame
houseofworshipas itwaspossibleforthem into contactwith themwhat Napoleonic
toimagine. powerand rulereallymeant.
Theyforgot nothing. In orderto despatch Corporateidentity is aboutthesethings.
theiropponentsin a fashionappropriate to It is abouthow behaviourand appearance
theagetheyevenintroduced a newexecuting symbolize thereality, reflect therealityand
machine - theguillotine. underline thereality all at thesametime.
Now that'swhat I call changingyour I find it much easier to grasp what
corporate identity. corporate identity is reallyaboutor at any
Corporateidentity - real corporate iden- ratewhatit shouldbe aboutbyreference to
titythatis- is aboutbehaviouras muchas historical, socialorpoliticalprecedents than
appearance,and certainly aboutreality,as byplunging intotheminutiaeofletterhead
muchas symbolism. Wheneverbehaviour designs,symbols, logotypes, colourschemes
and appearanceare linked,real corporate oreven,dareI sayit,gazingatthecorporate
identity emerges. identity manualsof companieswhichhave
The need fora new corporateidentity receivedtheDesignManagement Awardof
mostoftenmanifests itselfwhena country, thisaugustSociety.
or forthatmatteranyorganization, is in a All thattypeof stuff is, if I maysay so,
volatilestate,when its management has verylargelythemyth.
changed,whenit wantsto expand,movein Thereare a numberof conceptions and
newdirections - or alteritsstructure, when misconceptions, oras I callthemin thetitle
itwantsorneedsto demonstrate a newsense of thislecture,mythsand realities,about
ofdirection to thevariousgroupsofpeople corporate identity withwhichI shouldlike
amongwhomitlives. to cope this evening.To startwith,the
So goingbackto late eighteenth-century phrase'corporateidentity'is as imprecise
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 OF THEROYALSOCIETYOF ARTS
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4 finditmuch easiertograspwhatcorporate is really

identity tohistorical
aboutbyreference ,
socialorpolitical thanby.. . gazingat thecorporate
precedents manuals
identity of
companies whohavereceived
theDesign
Management Award ofthisaugust
Society

and disagreeablea piece of jargonas is j to our families,our wives (or husbands)

commonin anybusinessmanual.Personallyj children,mistresses, to the companiesin
I can't standit. Corporateimageis even i whichwe work,to particular groupswithin
worsethough.It is justas imprecise, equally those companies.All of these different
pretentious andontopofall thathassinister groups have their own language,signs,
overtonesall relatedto allegedlysophis- symbols andpersonality. Whatwe as people
ticatedtechniquesof manipulation. 'House presentto the outsideworldis our own
style'is superficialand impliesdrawingup interpretation oftheamalgam ofthosethings.
designsforletterheads - whichgetsme into So ourclothes, ourhouses,thewaywespeak,
hotwaterbecauseI neverlearnedto draw- projectouridentity.
and all theotherphraseswhicharebandied In an advertisingagency,forexample,it
aboutsuffer fromsimilarhandicaps. is theexpensiveinformality of thecreative
Definitions are unfortunately ratherim- director'sclothesand stylewithhis open
portant inthisbusiness, becausemostpeople j neckedshirt, hisbeardandhisleatherjacket
involvedin it, boththosewho earn theirjI whichare meantto signalhis unorthodox
livingfromcreatingand sellingcorporate and,byinference, creativeways.We cantell
identity programmes andthosewhobuyand fromlookingat him wherehe lives,how
use them,are oftenvague and imprecise muchhe earns,andwhatatleastsomeofhis
aboutwhattheyaretrying to do. interestsare.
In real lifewe all have an identity. We Unhappilyuntilwe see it we can only
don'tconsciously createit,although we may surmise whether hisworkis as creativeas he
consciouslyfor at least part of the time triesto look.
manipulate it and projectit, but it's there In mostreal lifesituations the outward
allthetime.Ouridentity is closelyassociated andvisiblesignsofcorporate identityemerge
withand partlyderivesfromthe differentnaturally, - as part of what is
organically
groupsto whichwe belong:to ourcountry, currently called one's life style.We get
toourtown,toourdistrict within thattown, married, say,we starta family, we live in
and ofcoursein Britain, to oursocialclass, Islington,we send our kids to the local
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MARCHI979 CORPORATE - THEMYTHANDTHEREALITY
IDENTITY

4n an advertising ,forexample
agency , itis theexpensiveinformality
of
thecreative
director's
clothes andstyle . . . which
aremeant to
hisunorthodox
signal and, byinference} creative
ways. . .

Comprehensive, we workin journalism, we headto footin Jaeger.We didn'tdo anyof

havea Renault4, we buyourfurniture from
Habitat,we vote Labour (even thoughit
isn't in our class interestto do so), the
femalesin ourfamily are drapedfromhead
to toein LauraAshley.We didn'tdo anyof
it on purpose- butit cameoutthatway,so
we endup lookinga bitlikethis.
Or, maybe,we get married,we starta
family, we livein GerrardsCross,we send
our kids away to school,we workin a
merchant bank,we have a BMW, we buy
ourfurniture fromHarrods,we voteTory,
the femalesin our familyare drapedfrom
it on purpose- it came out thatway.And
maybewe endup lookinglikethis.
Each consciousindividualdecisionthat
wetake- topicka particular neighbourhood
tolivein,tobuycertain brandsofclothes,to
furnish our housesin a specificway- adds
up collectivelyto a certainlifestylewhich
clearlyremindsourselvesand signalsto the
restoftheworldwhatkindofpeopleweare.
Although theindividual selectionswhichwe
havemadeaboutthedifferent aspectsofour
lifemaynotconsciously havebeencontrived
any morethanthe Frenchrevolutionaries
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 OF THEROYALSOCIETYOF ARTS
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1979

' Wegetmarried , weliveinIslington

, say,westarta family , we
, wework
sendourkidstothelocalComprehensive in
journalism 4..
, wehavea Renault

consciouslycreatedsymbols oftheirrégime, colours,chargedfor by the kilo, by the

whatit all adds up to is a clearcorporate designerand slappedon witha trowelby
- a clearprojection
identity of self. theclient,isinfacta profoundandpermanent
We knowwhatwe are and so do other; manifestation ofthehumancondition.
people. Our corporateidentitysymbolizes It is certainlythe case that corporate
thereality,
emphasizes therealityandis part identityis also a productsoldbyspecialized
ofthereality all at thesametime.Whenour designconsultants tocompanies ofall shapes
lifestylechanges,whenwe divorce,move and sizesall overtheworld.The corporate
away,retirefromtheratraceor whatever, identity practitionercurrently shufflesun-
our identityis modified accordingly. easilyfromfoottofootin a kindofhalflight
WhatI have arguedso faris thatwhat somewhere betweentheadvertising agency,
people call corporate so farfrom thePR man,themanagement
identity, consultantand
beinga fashionable management fad,some- the architect.He is normallya graphic
thingto do withlogotypes,symbolsand designerstrugglingaway with concepts
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MARCHI979 CORPORATE - THEMYTHANDTHEREALITY
IDENTITY

'Or,maybe , westarta family

ywegetmarried >weliveinGerrardsCross
, wesendourkids
awaytoschool
, wework ina merchant
bank, wehavea BMW . .

which he, like his client,only partially to projectwhattheywere.It justnaturally,

understands. emerged.All thearchitects
organically, and
Whyis this?
Whatis goingon?
How did it happen?
The firstreallylarge organizations to
emergein the moderncommercialand
worldweretherailways.
industrial Intuitively
each majorrailwaycompanydevelopedits
own individualidentity stemming fromits
own personality and needs.I have written
aboutthesharplydiffering identitiesof the
Midland,GreatNorthern andGreatWestern
Railwaysclearlymanifested in architecture,
rollingstock,liveries,
uniforms, evendown
to suchthingsas cutlery. The factthatthe
Midlandwasthelineforcomfort ratherthan
speedwhilethe GreatNorthern was more
concerned withtechnical advance,is clearly
revealedin the neighbouring stationsof
St. Panerasand King'sCross- theonerich,
gaudyand ostentatious, the othermodest,
austereand simple.
Neither the Midland nor the Great
Northern norforthatmatter anyoftheother
railwayor shippingcompanieswhichpro- 4n theearly yearsofthiscentury ... thegreat
duced such complex,involvedand power- AEG organization
. . . employed theyoung
fullyidiosyncraticcorporateidentitypro- architect
Behrens todesignandco-
grammes in the middle and late nineteenth ordinateproducts and
, publicity
century neededanyoutsidedesigners' help architecture..

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 OF THEROYALSOCIETYOF ARTS
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Laker'sLakerAirways
'SirFreddie hasa clearidentity
, sodoes
Conran's
Terence Habitat. . .'

engineers,
printers, and hundreds cernedtouseitsknowledge
publicists ofwhatwasthen
ofothersupplierstheyused had an instinct an extremely advancedformof energy -
forwhatthecompaniesreallywere. - in a waywhichwouldbe life-
electricity
The firsttime I can trace the use of enhancingwithoutbeing too pl. AEG
professionaloutsideassistancein the self- products wereofa piecewiththecompany -
consciousdevelopment ofcorporate identity modern,well made and thoughtfully de-
was in Germanyin the earlyyearsof this signed.
centurywhenthe greatAEG organization, The directionof the AllgemeineElek-
themajorGermanelectrical company, em- tricitäts-Gesellschaft was at thattimein the
ployed the young architectBehrens to handsofWalterRathenau,a rarecombina-
designand co-ordinate products,publicity tion of industrialist, visionaryand as it
and architecture.His workforthemwas subsequently transpired,world-classstates-
extremely He was able to help man.
successful.
them projectthroughthe design of his Men such as Rathenauwererare,com-
products,and througharchitecture and paniesas thoughtful, sophisticatedandcom-
exhibitionsandpublicitymaterialtheideaof mercially acuteas theold AEG maybeeven
a veryadvancedthoughtful company, con- ¡ rarer.In Britaina fewpeoplelikeFrankPick

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MARCHI979 CORPORATE - THEMYTHANDTHEREALITY
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ofLondonTransport alsoconsciously intro- whatis goodforhimandnotwhathe wants.

duceda policyofusinga mixture ofoutsiders Thiskindofcompany, andtherearea fair
andinsiders to projectthrough architecture,numberof them,has a powerful, idiosyn-
productsand printedmateriala clearidea craticand well understoodidentity.It is
abouthis organization. usually,contrary to mostmarketing men's
The factof the matteris thatwhenan cherished beliefs,highlysuccessful.
organization has a clear idea about itself, Mostorganizations, however, fallintotwo
whatits businessis, whatits priorities are, quitedifferentgroups.Therearethosewhose
howit wantsto conductitself, howit wants culture,behaviourpattern, and wayof life
to be perceived, itsidentityfallsfairlyeasily are so much part of the genericof the
into place. Its products,buildings,the industryin whichtheyoperatethatit is
servicesit offers, thepublicity it conducts, practicallyimpossible foranybody totellany
are all of a piece- theyare coherentand ofthemapart.
mutuallysupportive.The companymay Theseareoften organizations whoseactivi-
need outsidehelp to executeits intentions tiesare veryheavilycircumscribed bytrade
effectively,butit certainlydoesn'tneedany associations,by I ATA, say- the Inter-
helpin discovering whattheyare. nationalAir TransportAssociation, which
Ifwelookata fewcontemporary examples, stillcontrols muchoftheminutiae ofairline
thepointbecomesclear.SirFreddieLaker's travel - or,a morehomelyexample,bythe
LakerAirwayshas a clearidentity, so does BuildingSocietiesAssociation,the trade
Terence Conran'sHabitat,so does Colin bodycontrolling theactivities oftheBuilding
Chapman'sLotus. Whatthesethreecom- Societies.
panieshaveincommon is thattheiridentities In orderto preparefor this lecture,I
directlyreflectthe preoccupations,the spentsometimeinvestigating whatBuilding
energy, and theattitudes ofthepeoplewho Societieslook,soundandbehavelike.There
ownand managethem. is hardlyany difference betweenwhatone
But in to-day'sworld,companieslike BuildingSocietyoffers a customer andwhat
Laker,Lotusand Habitatarecomparativelyanother offers.
So anydifferences muststem
smalland, moreimportant, comparativelyfromtheirpersonalities. Thereis certainly a
simple.Theyare fairlyeasyto understand, collectiveBuildingSocietyculture,a col-
to geta gripon. lectiveBuildingSocietywayofbehaving and
Another groupofcompanies, usuallymuch doing things,but despitethe individual
biggerand older,whichsharewiththese BuildingSocieties'quiteconsiderable efforts
smallercompaniesa clearidea ofwhatthey to differentiate themselves by advertising,
areaboutarethoselikeMercedesBenzand the experience of dealingwiththem,their
Marks& Spencerwhichareobsessedbytheir offices, theirforms, thewayin whichtheir
own technology. BothMercedesBenz and employeesbehaveis so similar,thatit is
Marks& Spencerhavegonebeyondthepoint virtuallyimpossibleto tell one fromthe
wherethepersonality ofthechiefexecutive other.
is theonethingthatholdsthecultureofthe BuildingSocietiesareextreme versions of
companytogether.The idea behind the thecategory oforganization whosebehaviour
producthas taken such firmroot that and appearanceand standards are suchthat
virtuallyanyonewhoworksineitherofthese it is all but impossibleto tell themapart.
companies is awarethatcertainstandards in Two otherprominent groupsinthiscategory
products and product development,in arebanksandinsurance companies. Theore-
service,in packaging,in technology, in ticallypetrolretailing is anotheractivity in
pricing,in humanrelations, areappropriate whicheveryone believestheproduct is much
tothemandwhattheydo andsuchstandards the same,and in whichapartfroma few
are followed.Life is mademucheasierfor minorprice variationsfromtimeto time
suppliers,customers and everyone elsewho theredoesn'tseemto be a real difference
deals withthecompany - theyhavecertain betweenthe major brands. The petrol
expectations, about what the companyis retailers, unlikethe BuildingSocieties,are
preparedto acceptand how it willbehave, acutelyawareofthisproblem andhavemade
whichare comfortably consistent. In these overmanyyearsconstant effortsto buildin
companiesthosemarketing menwho sway perceptible differences through advertising,
withthelightestbreezesof publicopinion througharchitecture, signs, colours,and
are shunned.These companiessturdily and even, when they are really desperate,
successfully set out to give the consumer through attempts to improveservice.

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' Societies
areextreme
versions
Building ofthecategory whose
oforganization behaviour
andappearanceandstandards totellthem
aresuchthatitisallbutimpossible apart. . . .'

Organizations liketheseareamongst those bothtemporary and permanent, untilthey

thatneedhelpfromoutsiders to helpthem havecomevirtually to dominatetheindus-
understand,defineand then execute a triesin whichtheytraditionally operateand
corporateidentitywhich will give them sometimes a fewothersas well.Thesecom-
some kindof real,distinctand individual paniesoftenhavethe greatestdifficulty in
personality. knowingwho and what theyare and in
So farwe have talkedaboutbusinesses maintaining clearand consistent standards
whichhave been dominatedby the per- becausetheyare simplya ragbagof many
sonality of thefounder, likeHabitat,or by different traditions, stylesand regionaland
one idea, say the intention to excel,like nationalbackgrounds.
RollsRoyce,or evenby therulebookand In theirheadlongrace forgrowth, such
customs ofthetrade,likeBuildingSocieties. companies almostalwaysgulpdown,some-
The last,mostnumerous, and in many timesalmostwithout noticingit, a massof
ways,mostimportant groupof businesses smaller companies,each with its own
withwhichI wouldliketo dealthisevening subsidiaries, withits own traditions, cus-
has also beendominated at leastfora con- tomers, methods ofpurchasing, distribution
siderabletime by one idea- the wish to systems,communityrelationsactivities,
grow.This idea, whichis in manyways methods ofaccounting, researchanddevelop-
valuableand important is, unlessit is very ment operations,overseasagents,public
carefullymonitored, also potentially self- relations
programmes, brandsand products
destructive. and so on.
Many,perhapsmost,oftheworld'sreally Eachindividual unitofwhichthemonster,
major companieshave growncannibalis- the colossuscompany,is made up, has in
tically,byswallowing firsttheirrivals,then otherwords,itsownidentity, influenced by
theirsuppliers,thentheircustomers. They its own historyand the personalities who
havegrownbymerger, amalgamation, hori- oncedominated it.
zontalandvertical integrationintoenormous Colossuscompanies areoftenmadeup of
and oftenshapelessstructures. They have I traditional rivalswithmutualand almost
formedoffensive and defensivealliances,I hereditary antagonisms. This bringingto-

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MARCHI979 CORPORATE - THEMYTHANDTHEREALITY
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getheroftwoor moreancientenemiesinto the wayit does its business,whatkindof

one corporation is almostalwaysthesource growth itis lookingfor,whatkindofpeople
ofthemostviciousin-fighting. In thissitua- itwants - andall ofthesethingsin turnwill
tionindividuals in bothcompaniesare not affect itsidentity.
just fighting fordominancein the market Whenthecentredoes notknowwhatits
placebutforthevictory oftheirownwayof rôleis,itcannotknowwhatitwantsfromits
life- theonlywayin whichtheycan ensure operating units.It cannotknowhowitwants
their own personalsurvivalin the new themto behave,whatit wantsthemto do.
corporation. Thereis no war morevicious In thesecircumstances the identityof the
thana civilwar. individual unitscontinues wildlytorampage
Almostalwaysthe mergersthatdirectly - theidentity of the colossuscontinuesto
led to thecreation ofthecolossushavebeen wither.The resultsof all this are in the
precededby a seriesof previousmergers, enddire.
sometimes goingbackforty or fiftyyears,in In theendthecolossushastotakeaction -
each of whichtherehas beenplayedout a to rediscover its own identity. Somewhere
smallerbut no less violentversionof the beneathall thoseacquisitions theremustbe
civilwarswhichcurrently wrackthecolossus a corporatesoul, some goals,some inten-
company. tions,a way of behaving,of doingthings,
Eventually all thisbecomesunendurable. standardsof productperformance that it
The colossuscompanyfindsitselfwitha feels comfortable with,somethingwhich
heavingmass of companies,brands and suppliers, customers andpeopleinsideall of
products,each with different attitudes, the companieswithinthe organization can
different loyaltiesand different identities, understandand respondto. It is these
withdifferent reputations in the differentstandardswhichhaveto be unearthed and
market placesall overtheworldin whichit then made visible - so thatall companies
operates.It is distracted ateveryturn - what within themassiveorganization canrespond
shoulditspolicybe in research anddevelop- ina waywhicheveryone elsebothwithin the
ment,in branding,in export,in financial groupand outsidewillrecognise.
controls,in personnel relationsand recruit- Or maybethereisn't.Maybethereisn't
ment.Whatcommonelementsshouldthe anythingthereat all exceptthe will to
companies in thegrouppossess? Whatis its expand - liketheQuatermass monster.
ownpersonality ? Companieswithno realunderstanding of
It mayrealizethatas thingsstandit has whattheyareaboutareintheendfoundout.
noclearpersonality - thatnobodyquite They don't reallyknow wherethey are
itself
knowswhoit is and whatit standsfor,and going - whenthemoodofthemoment is for
thattheabsenceof sucha personality is in expansion, theygrow - whenit changesand
itselfrevealing. It allowsthecompany to be it's fashionableto divest,theyget small
perceivedas one dominatedby its com- again.More oftenthannot theyget small
ponentparts.Even its businesspurposeis quickerthantheymightwish,in a fashion
unclear.Should it be a holdingcompany, whichtheymaynotlike.
onlyinterested in thefinancial resultsofits But all companies,big or small,which
operatingunits? Should it be a highly wantto introduce familialor,ifyouprefer,
decentralizedorganization,looking after corporate behaviouroftenfindit easiestto
finance,research anddevelopment, personnel symbolizeit visually - and that's perhaps
and one or two otherfunctionswhile it wherethemyth ofcorporate comesin.
identity
leavesitsoperating unitstogeton withit at Manyhugecompanieswithmassiveand
thesharpend? complexproblems ranging overeveryaspect
Or should it be the one sourcewhich of theirbusiness,as I have attempted to
carefullycontrolsand directsall of the describe,do not necessarily thinkof these
activitiesof its operatingunits,including problems as inter-related.Certainlytheydo
recruitment, research and development,notalwaysor forthatmatteroftenthinkof
marketing policy,pricingand so on? themas problemsof corporateidentity or
Shoulditcontrol orshoulditbe controlled personality. Buttheyare,or at leastin part
byitsoperating units? theyare, and if theyare properlytreated
In the end thesequestions,all of which theywillrespondeffectively.
concerntherelationship ofthecentreto the In thebeginning ofthislectureI showed
whole,cannotbe ducked.The decisionsthe through theexampleoftheFrenchRevolu-
colossustakeshave a profound bearingon tionthatcorporate identity symbolizes the

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reality,emphasizes therealityand is partof edifice,it indicatesnotonlythatit has the

therealityall at thesametime.I also said wrongpriorities, butalsothatitis notsensi-
thatcorporate identityis aboutbehaviour as tiveto thespiritoftheagein whichwe live.
wellas appearance. Corporate identitymusttakeintoaccount
If thisis truethenthe applicationof a not just the packagebut the productthat
purplestripeand a new way of writing goes insideit and the servicethatbacksit
Bloggoin silveris hardlylikelyto makea up,notjusta signbutthebuilding onwhich
profound differenceto a corporation in the itis placed.Notjustuniforms butthewayin
travailthatI have just described.Stripes, whichpeople who workforthe company
new colours,new paintschemeson lorries thinkaboutthemselves in relationto it.
and a fewsignson buildingsare in them- That is why corporateidentityis an
selvesneitherherenorthere - theyare the activity whichessentially mustbe directed
myth, notthereality. fromwithin - itis afterall theessenceofthe
They onlybecomesignificant whenthey company.If it is to workit needs the
act as thesymbolsand catalysts of change, constant commitment ofthemanat thetop.
when theyhelp the management of the It is best carriedout intuitively. Nobody
colossusto signalboth internally and ex- toldRobespierre thathe was doinga good
ternallythat changeis takingplace- that job withhis corporate identity programme.
order is emergingfromchaos- that the I don'tsupposeFreddieLakerneedsmuch
productsthecompanymakesand sellswill adviceon his corporate identity either.
once again have a consistentand clear Thereis- fortunately forus inthetrade -
that
reputation, loyalties will lie not just a job for the outside consultant. It is to
with one part of the organization, but investigate, to recommend, to monitor, to
through one partof it to thetotality- that holdup a mirror andto helpimplement.
thewholeis genuinely greaterthanthesum But theprocessis essentially an internal
ofitsparts. one. It is themanifestation of thespiritof
That is whycorporate identitycannotbe theorganization in a comprehensible form,
confinedto graphics.If a companyputs and nobodycan properly be responsible for
freshbrightsignson a squalidand decaying thatbutthecompanyitself.

DISCUSSION
Mr. Peter Vincent: I shouldliketo ask whichthingswerereallyimproving. 'Don't
Mr.Olinsifhehaseverturned downa client ? worry, things aregetting
really better',hesaid,
The Lecturer: We have turneddown mine'. 'yougetonwithyourjobandI willgetonwith
So offwewentwithsometrepidation and
potential clients from time to time because we introduced thenewidentity. We putup new
thought thattheirreality wouldonlybe too signsand introduced newletterheads and re-
clearlyexposedbythecorporate identitypro- painted thevehicles andthelavatories, and,as
gramme thatwemight workoutwiththem. wehadvery muchfeared, theresultwascounter-
But, far worse than that,I must reproach The company wasrightly accused
myself becausewe haveactuallyworkedfor productive.
of havingthewrongpriorities, of paintingits
companies aboutwhoseperformance we were¡ lorries in the new colours insteadof gettingits
verydoubtful - andas itturned out,withgood products Thatis a lessonfrom whichwe
reason.I remember wellin the when right.
very days learned a greatdeal.
wewanted themoney badly,going toa Midlands
townand talking to theChairman of a very| Professor RaymondThomas (Professor
largecompany, forwhomwe wereaboutto ofBusiness Administration,UniversityofBath):
work, and which was inconsiderable -
travail as I wonder ifI may challenge an assumption you
indeed itstillis- andreceivingwhatI nowthink appearto be making. It is thatan enterpriseis
of as ťtheupwardand onwards' speech.'To- like a unitary nation
state, analmost totalitarian
morrow', he said,'is goingto be lovely- there state.I wouldputitto youthattheverylarge
are good timesjustaroundthe corner'.We enterprise nowadayshasa problem ofdivisional-
carried outan investigation anditseemed tous ization.It mightin factsplitup intoseveral
thatthings werenotgoodandnotgoingto get levelsandquitediverse Thereis the
activities.
better. Theirplantwasa mess,theirproducts question, ofitshaving
therefore, twoor three
werenotright andtheir financial could levelsofidentity.
director Wouldyouliketocomment ?
notevenaddup.WesaidtotheChairman that The Lecturer: If I gaveyouthatimpres-
wedidnotthink thathiscompany wasready for sion,it is an indictment ofwhatI havebeen
a newidentity becausehishousewasnotyetin saying forthelastforty minutes. WhatI had
ordernorwasitmoving towards a situationin intended toconvey,certainly inthelastpartof
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the talk,was thattheproblems of whatare advertised brands. So thatyouhad,say,Wool-

commonly called'multi-nationals' arevery com- worthtrying to hideitselfbehindthebrand
plex,thatyouhavetotakeintoaccount allsorts nameofWinfield; orTeseohiding behind, is it
of loyalties withinthecolossus,to particular'Dairylea' ? These'ownbrands' withconcocted
companies, products, nations, regions, localities nameswereputupagainst nationally advertised
- and whatpeoplemayfeelin a particularproducts becausetheretailer feltthathewould
operation aboutthecentreitselfis veryoften beweaker intheraceifheusedhisownnamein
ambivalent. Changesof any kind,especially this situation. This is how nameslike St.
thoseapparently arbitrarily directed fromthe Michaelcameabout.
centre,create problems withrepercussions inall In fact,so faras Marksand Spencerwere
directions. So itisnotjusta question ofwalking concerned, theywerealreadysellingproducts
aroundcreating a unitary state- lyingdown madeby a firmcalledN. Corahwhichwere
standard product quality, sorting outdistribu-brand-named 'St.Margaret'. So they introduced
tion,sourcing anda widerange ofother matters. thename'St. Michael'as a kindofcompanion.
On the contrary, one has to be verysubtle, Timeshavechanged - MarksandSpencer now
sophisticated and carefulin whatone does. onlyselltheirownbrandofproducts andtheir
Therearetwo,three orevenmorelevelstodeal reputation is so good and so clearthatSt.
with.Therecanandvery often should bea series Michaelis nowirrelevant. Forreasons whichI
ofinterrelated identities within thewhole. canonlyassumeareemotional theystillusethe
St. Michaelname.Butit has becomelikean
Mr. Orlando Oldham: In examining a appendix, it is uselessand couldbe cut out
company's corporate identity,inyourexperiencewithout anybody troubling aboutit.
haschange comeaboutthrough thatexamination
itself?You saidthata corporate identity pro- Mr. Andrew Smyth:Somepeoplemight
gramme canbe a vehicle ofchange, butifoneis saytheyassociate St. MichaelwithMarksand
examining one'sorganization onewillprobably Spencer. ThepointI amtrying tomakeis that
findthings thatarenotas goodas theyought to there seemtobetwodifferent concepts. Oneis,
be, andtherefore thevery act of it
doing can well,I'm notsurewhatit is, and thatis my
bringaboutchange. question, andtheotheris theactualidentity or
The Lecturer: If a consultant is askedto character ofthatcompany.
carry outa corporate identity programme fora The Lecturer: Therearesomecompanies
company, itis reasonable to assumethatthisis
ofa of which the com- whichprojectmoreor lessa unified identity.
part process reappraisal Thecompany anditsbrands andproducts bear
panyis making andthatitis therefore receptivethesame name. There are many other com-
to change.Whether a consultant or someone
whichuse a wholearmoury ofbrands.
insidethe company providedthe ideas and panies,
Sometimes thesebrandsare invented names,
catalystsforchange isina senseirrelevant. Some- and
timesweconsultants thinkwehavebeenclever sometimes theyformerly hada lifeoftheir
- mayhavebeenrealcompanies which
in recommending a courseof actionwhicha own they
number ofpeopleinthecompany havealready had beenabsorbedby the corporation. The
recommended. I thinkit is very problem thatanycompany inthatsituation has
previously istocontrol itsvarious namesinsucha waythat
dangerous for consultants to play God. Con-
sultantsdo not do thatmuch.Whatthey it usesthemmosteffectively from a marketing
do is stirthepota bit. point of view. The fundamental difference
generally between a brandanda company is thata brand
Mr. Andrew Smyth: Mr. Olins men- is two-dimensional, ithasnoreallifeofitsown,
tionedthe corporate identity of Marksand it is aimedonlyat theconsumer. Whereas the
Spencer.St. Michaelis a trademark butsome company is an entity witha wholeseriesof
peoplemight sayitisa corporate identity.Could audiences; it is three-dimensional.
heelaborate onthecorporate identity as hehas
explained it,i.e.,whatthecompany actually is Mr. HughBennett(TheCommunicators) :
andtheeffect thata visualkeyhas. Haveyoueverfound, as a resultofdevising a
company's or evena conglomerate's corporate
The Lecturer: You havetouched on the identity inthecomplete wayyoudescribed, that
differences betweena brandidentity and a thecompetition becomes moredangerous than
corporate identity inretailing. Myfeeling about itwas?
Marksand Spenceris thattheyknowexactly
whattheyare about.Theyare verygoodat The Lecturer: If a corporate identity is
buying,they distribute very good quality carried outproperly ithastheeffect ofmaking
products at reasonable prices, andpeopleknow everybody in thebusiness morelively. A good
whattoexpect whentheygointotheir shops. exampleis theartists' materials business. We
For somereason,largely historical,retailersworked fora company calledReeves. Winsor and
formerly adopted theviewthattheir ownnames Newton, a majorcompetitor, promptly engaged
lackedcredibility whentheyusedthemincom- extremely able designconsultants to workfor
petitionon theirownshelveswithnationallythem, andboth companies wereprotected bythe
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1979

competition theygaveeachother - becausethe The Lecturer: I sincerely hopenot!

market expanded. Mr. Waller: CouldI getthisquiteclear?
Mr. Richard Gaunt: Can I go backto You aresuggesting thatthegraphic manifesta-
whatyoureferred to as 'theBuilding tionprogrammes are almost technical - thatyou
Society those.I getthegeneral
syndrome' ? Whatoff-the-cuff recommendations couldalmost subcontract
wouldyoumakefora Building Societyorany impression thatyouarealmostdismissing the
otherorganization facedwithidentical com- graphic andcolourful manifestations andpoint-
petitors tobreak outoftherutanddosomething ingto thedeeperaspects.Whythengo to a
whichmight makeitself morereadily seenas a jj designconsultant ifthisaspectis relatively un-
different kindoforganization ? important
¡ ment ? Whynotgotoanordinary manage-
consultant ?
The Lecturer: First,no consultant can The Lecturer: Let meattempt to secure
helpa Building Society oranyother organizationmylivelihood forthenexttenyears, ifI may!
change unless itwants tochange. So wehave to The designconsultant orshouldbe able
the desireto change.Next,it to offers,
presuppose an
offer, unprejudiced and informed view -
dependson whatyoumeanby change.The heis,after all,an outsider. It is virtually impos-
change ingraphic style is relativelysimple- but
itis alsorelatively Ifyouaretalking own sibleforanycompany successfully to createits
superficial. corporate identity. Oncethecorporate iden-
aboutreal change - thisimpliesmassivere-
inbehaviour tityhasbeen created, once the idea has emerged,
training andthattakes longerandis ì it shouldbe carried outbythecompany itself.
moredifficult. Designconsultants cannotprovide Thingsarenotrealuntil thathappens. It must
instant solutions. j belongtothecompany. It isvery that
important
Mr. Mark Ransom(DesignandIndustriesthedesignconsultant carries outtheinvestiga-
Association): To whatextent do youseea pro- tionforthecorporate identity andthencreates
gramme ofcorporate identity as anopportunity theidentity, butitisalsovery important thatthe
to improvedesign standardswithinthat company develops andusestheidentity so that
company ? itbecomes itsown.IfI gaveyoutheimpression
thatI regardthe graphicmanifestations of
The Lecturer: A verygoodquestion. All corporate identity ascomparatively unimportant,
thisstuff aboutdesign standards tothe j it was perhapsbecauseI am so anxiousthat
isrelated
rootsof thegraphicdesignand product and peopleshouldnotbelieve thattheyaretheonly
architectural design business. Ifyouwanttobe thingsof importance. Clearlytheyhavecon-
a 'goody'youareon thesideofgooddesign. siderable significance. Theyare thetoolsby
PeoplelikeAdriano Olivetti andFrank Pick,for whichcorporate identity canbe seentoemerge
example, ofLondonTransport introduced what andtheymustbe carried outina sophisticated
we wouldnow call corporate identitypro- andcomprehensive way.Whatisreally required
grammes, becauseapartfrom anything elsethey to getthings working is a judicious mixture of
wanted things to lookbetter, to improve what insiders andoutsiders.
wewouldcall'thequality oflife'.AndI think Mr. George Him, rdi: As a
thatto-daymanypeoplewantthingsto look graphic
better too.Weallareonthesideofgooddesign. criticism designer I mustfully agreewiththeLecturer's
of so manyrecentcorporate image
I wouldnotbe in thebusiness ifI werenot. which aremerely a superficial facelift
On theotherhandtherearemanysituations in operations
in theprevailing fashion and conveynothing
whichtheactualquality ofthedesignis notall aboutthe are supposedto
thatrelevant. Whatis significant in suchcom- companies they
represent.
paniesis thattheyshouldprojectthemselves However, I amwondering whether a deeper
through designin a truthful and appropriate
approach tosuchproblems isstillfeasible to-day.
way. Once,a goodcorporate imageresulted from
Mr. Charles Potts, ndd, astd, fsia the fusion of three individual elements: the
oftheclient whousually wasdeeply
(Head of GraphicDesign,KingstonPoly- personality
technic) : Mr.Olinssuggested earlieronthathe involved withevery aspectofhisfirm ; secondly
disliked thewordscorporate Could he thebusiness itselfwithall itspeculiarities and
identity. which made it different from its
suggest an acceptable alternative ? idiosyncrasies
competitors, and,thirdly, theindividuality of
The Lecturer: I only wish I could! thedesigner whohadtosolvehisproblem with-
American companies tendto call themselvesin thelimitations ofhisownpersonality. The
'consultants in marketing, communication and fusionof thesethreeelements could,indeed,
design'. Youcouldnotdothathere - youwould produce something unique.
be laughed at.'Designconsultants', perhaps ? Now,however, ina worldoftake-overs, huge
conglomerates, multinationals and prevailing
Mr. W. Waller: I gettheimpression that diversification tendencies, allthesepersonalizing
Mr. Olinsis almostsuggesting 'don'tgo to a j elements tendtodisappear. Thespecific aspects
design consultant'. oftaken-over firms getdrowned inthehugeness

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ofthegiantcombine, theonlycharacteristic of says'I shouldlikemysymbol re-designed', in

whichis itssize. which caseitisnogoodoneconsultant replying.
Evenifthereis an individual at theheadof 'Whatis wrong withyouis notthatyouneed
sucha combine, he is mostlikelynotto be yoursymbolre-designed but thatyou have
involved withthedetails ofhisoperation, refer- umpteen subsidiaries withwhomyouhavenot
ringmatters ofminorimpactto underlings or worked outa clearandcoherent relationship. So
facelessboards ofdirectors whoarealways likely thesymbol thatyouwantredesigning is infact
to plungeforthesafest common denominator, a symbol of yourproblem'. That is thefirst
ratherthantaketheslightest risk. aspect- mistaking thepartforthewhole.
How,then,cana really convincing corporate Thesecondaspectthatitseemstomeyouare
imageemerge ? referring to is theproblem ofnotbeingableto
cope withitallatonce.
The Lecturer: Thisis a mostsignificant
observation whichcomesfroma mostexperi- concerned, Myviewwouldbe,so faras thefirst aspectis
thatthere hastobe a moment when
encedandeminent designer, with which I largely youdisabuse If a clientcomesalongto
people.
agree.Onecanpointtoa fewexamples ofhuge usand
saysheneedsa newsymbol, wewouldbe
companies, whichdo havemanifestly successful inourdutyifwedidnot,after anappro-
butthesearealmostalwayscom- failing
programmes, priatediscussion withhim,tellhimthatthe
panies with a and
verystrong pervasive culture
narrowbusinessfield symbol problemwithwhichhe cameto us
engagedin a relatively covereda wholeseriesof fundamental issues,
-
whichhavemadefewacquisitionscompanies which itmight beappropriate totackle. Whenhe
likeMobilandIBM. choosesto tacklethem,whether indeedhe
MostofwhatI havecalledcolossus companies,chooses totackle thematall,ishisdecision. But
whichhavegrownbyacquisition, do nothave evenan consultant canvery
andfindit almostimpossible to developa real experienced design
tellfromwhatis calledthepresenting
feelingofcommitment tooneideaoroneculture rarely as I understand itinpsychiatric terms,
becauseofthemultiplicity ofproblems which problem,
whattherealproblem is likely tobe.
they face - variations by country,region,
product, and all of whichlead to powerful Mr. Topalian: Whatifyourresearch into
centrifugal tendencies. It is,I agree,anintract- theclient organization provides noleadsaround
ableproblem. whicha designscheme canbe formulated - do
Mr. Alan Top ali an: I havetheimpres- you notsometimes invent a structure onwhich
sionyouare sayingthata corporate tobaseyourdesign work ?
identity
exercise is a comprehensive, one-off eventin The Lecturer: Let us saythereis a new
whichboththeclientanddesigner areableto man,whowalksintoa newsituation and he
distilclearlytheessenceof theorganizationswantsyoutohelphimto getthings right. The
are
they involved with.Butina situation where classicexampleis MichaelEdwardsand BL.
managers ofa company donotreally understandIfheasksa designconsultant tohelphim,itis
its truenature,I wouldquestion whether an properthatthedesignconsultant shouldhelp
outsider cannecessarily graspthatnature either. him.Butanydesignconsultant whothinks he
Is nota corporate identity project a voyageof is goingtogetBritish Leyland rightbyhimself
exploration and self-discovery, and thereforeonhisownhasgotanother think coming.
sequential- thatis,youcannottackleit neces-
sarilyin one go? Furthermore, don'tdesign Mr. David Maroni (Olivetti): Aswehave
consultants findthemselves in a verydifficultbeentalking aboutthemyth andthereality, I
position vis-à-vis clients whohavenotgottheir wonder ifyoucouldputyourowninterpretation
prioritiesright?If theydo notimprove the on something thathappened to Olivetti in the
client's
understanding ofhisproblem andcorrect UK abouttenor twelveyearsago. We were
lop-sidedpriorities, thentheremaybe little restructuring ourproduct rangecompletely and
chanceof producing a successful outcome. In I commissioned a smallsurvey on themeaning
effect,reality is 'unreal'to theclient, andthe oftheword'Olivetti' to themanin thestreet.
clientmaynot see a solutionwhichreflectsNinety-eight per cent said 'typewriters'. It
realityas answering his perceived problem. wouldhavebeenverydepressing, had it not
Therefore, do younotfindyourself frequentlybeenforthefactthattheMonopolies Commis-
ina situation where youhavetoworkwiththe sionwas investigating ouractivities in adding
clienton a long-term basisandgo through the machines, wherewe had 60 per centof the
sequenceof discovery together? On occasion, market.
doyounotactually specify whattheorganization The Lecturer: Thereis in the
mightbe and worktowards thatobjective, in audience somebody
whichcasethedesignscheme is notnecessarilyfirm thisevening whois connected witha
a reflectionofreality, butthecreation of'reality' few called 'P & O'. Thatcompany stillhasa
outofchaos? luxury linersbutitsmaininterests byfarare
in transport, in energy and a variety of other
The Lecturer: Yes andno.Whatyouare j things. YetifyouaskedmostpeoplewhatP & О
saying in partamounts to this:thattheclientI stands for,theywouldsay'luxury liners'. Most
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peoplethink thatBOC is Britishandtodowith to drawtheirattention

difficult tothefactthat
oxygen; itis partially
British todo
andpartially whatliesbeneaththelooksmatters evenmore.
withoxygen, butitisa lotofother aswell.
things Andit didin factenableBOC to embark on a
Weallhavetolivewithourpast.Andthatiswhy fairly
comprehensive redesignprogramme, re-
peoplechange theirnames andgetinvolved
with inproducts
sulting thatnotonlylookbetter,
but
corporate identity programmes - so thatthe often
perform andcostlesstomanufacture.
better
can be madevisible.But it is a very
reality
difficult
thing todo. Mr. JohnPoppleton (Marksand Spen-
cer): I shouldliketoaskMr.Olins,withwhom
Mr. AnthonyBarraud: Doesyourcom- we havehad somedealings in thepast,what
panyconduct postcorporateidentity to
research incentive there is,ifany,forsenior management
findouthowsuccessful itis? of a large,notunsuccessful, widelyaccepted,
'non-cannibalistic' company, toindulge ina re-
The Lecturer: I think itunlikely thatany appraisal anda changeofitsidentity, however
company dealingwithus wouldexpectan un- haphazard thatpresent identity mayseem.
biasedresultfromanystudywe madeof the
effectof theircorporate identity, although we The Lecturer: I am a greatadmirer of
wouldendeavour toprovide oneifasked. MarksandSpencer becausethecompany is so
It is ofcoursepossible to measure theeffect clearly effectiveandbecauseitscorporate iden-
ofsomething discrete- like,say,a newpack - or tityis extremely strong.If we lookat any
rangeofpackaging. In thecaseofReeves - the organization andgiveita scalefrom о to100,let
artists'materials company - or Bowyers - the us saythatinterms ofdevelopment company A
meatproducts -
firmsuchchanges aremeasur- might havetomovefrom 30to80,В might have
able; whatwechanged wasthepackaging which tomovefrom 80to85.Well,ifweputyouinthe
affected sales.Butit is simply notpossibleto 80endofthescale,there area number ofthings
measure effectively theimpactof a corporatethatcouldbe doneto makeyou85,in which
identity changein companies as diverseand design, rather thancorporate identity, graphics,
withas manypointsofpublicimpact as Lock- environmental design, physical design, product
heedorICI orUnilever. design, couldbe ofveryconsiderable valueto
The Chairman: Of courseit mightbe a you.Thereare othercompanies, someofthem
in thisroom,thatneedto move
pureattention-getting exercise. If want to represented
you from30 to 60,and corporate identity could
flogyourcompany, itis nota badideatohoist assistthem in such a move.
a flag. greatly
The Lecturer: WhatdidyoufindinBOC Mr. Gordon Medcalf: I deduceone
after theidentity ? thing morethananyotherfrom whathasbeen
programme said.It is a doctrine ofpurity thatsays,'Don't
The Chairman: The mostunexpectedtryto be whatyouarenot.Findtheessential
bonuswasthatpeoplesuddenly begantorealize truth andproject that.'In reallifeitis a kindof
all overtheworldthattheybelonged to an chicken andeggsituation. Ifyouwaituntilevery
international company; soit was a rallyingpoint. lastproduct, every last policy,every lastperson,
The internal effects ofthesethings aresome- is right, youwillneverstart projecting. Whatis
timesmoreimportant thantheexternal. yourviewontheprojection ofcorporate identity
Theother thing I shouldliketosayrelates to as a message ofhopeandintention, rather than
theeffect of a corporate identity exercise on a projection of what actually is ?
product design.Whereproduct designis im- The Lecturer: We all live in the real
portant toa company, evenifitismanufacturing worldand in therealworldwe all knowthe
Christmas novelties, it does not necessarilymixture ofgoodandbad,imperfect andperfect,
meanthattheyhavetolookgood,buttheyhave and mostly imperfect. Mr. Him,who is an
to be suitably designed for the market. Oneof eminent andrespected hassaid
thethings thata corporate cando,and thathe knows graphic designer,
identity howdifficult it is to workwith
certainly diddointhecaseofBOC,wastomake multi-national because itissodifficult
peoplerealize thatwhatthings looklikematters.toknowwhatcompanies theyare.I agree.I think thatin
Theyhad, in thatparticular case, realized for thisimperfect worldallthatanyofus cando is
sometimethatit was important thatthings toseektomakethings a bitbetter. Itisrelatively
shouldwork,thata welding machine mustbe easywhenyou are dealingwithwhat I call
capableofdoinggoodwelding. Theyhadnot simple cellularorganizations, butitis veryhard
realized thatlooksmattered as well.Theyhad with mostcompanies, andwhenyouget one
not bothered to comparethe looksof their thingright you oftengetanother thing
withthelooksoftheircompetitors' wrong.
equipment j
equipment. Forthefirst timeina quitedifferent ¡ Mr. Medcalf: Wouldyouin general sub-
context they weremadeawareofthefactthatthe scribe totheviewthat, forexample, Woolworths
visualaspectwasactually working forthecom- areunwiseto spenda lotofmoneytrying to
pany.Theycouldnotavoidthisbecausethey project an improved image, orwouldyousub-
weresurrounded by it. Then it was not too scribe 1 totheviewthatitis a start ?
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The Lecturer: If thefeewerebigenough so, howregularly do youthinkone shouldbe

itmightwellbe thatanydesigner working with doingthat?
themwouldbe able to persuadehimself that
theyweregoodenough tomakea fairstart. My The Lecturer: I thinkit is essential
observationofWoolworths is thattheyshould regularly to reviewwhatone is, justas one
probablyspendmoretimegetting theirproducts changes as a human being.Theboyoftwelve is
rightbeforetheystart.Butwe all havegotto unrecognizable as themanoftwenty-four, and
start
somewhere ; ifwedonotstart atallnothing themanof twenty-four as themanof fifty.
canhappen. Organizationschange anditisveryimportant to
reviewthem,maintain regular reviews of the
Mr. Christopher Lucas (Secretary of imagewhichis beingprojected. Butthemost
the Society):The olderan organization the importantthing is toproject
a trueimage.How
moredifficult
itmaybe tothrow offtraditionalregularlyonereviews depends on thesizeand
images.This Societymayitselfbe a good natureof the organization and the travails
exampleofthat.Assuming, as we do,thatthe through whichit haspassedor is passing.
is notonlyup-to-date
Society butalsoforward-
initsactivities,
looking is itnecessary regularly Therebeing nofurther questionstheChairman
toreview theimageofan organization likethis proposed
a voteofthanks totheLecturer, andthe
inordertoavoidtheold-fashioned look,andif meeting ended withacclamation.

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