Organisations like Hermēs and Ikea have key driving factors behind the creation of their identities. As quoted by Budelmann, K., Kim, Y. and Wozniak, C. (2010) “When others zig, try zagging”. Global competition between brands means that designers and marketers have to dig deeper in order embody an ideal that no other brand has claimed for itself yet in order to stand out. One way that Ikea successfully does this is by being “thrifty”; having well designed products for relatively cheap prices (The Economist, 2017). This core concept almost eliminates out other potential competitors. Hermēs on the other hand, places emphasis on being exclusive. It’s products reach out beyond the labels of “premium luxury” or “mass market luxury” and are crafted, solely one-of-a-kind, elusive items (Martin Roll, 2017).
It must also be mentioned that identity design plays an irreplaceable role when it comes to brand communication and representation. A simple brand logo, which, if effective enough, can be the fastest way to imprint a brand on the consumer’s mind while communicating the brand’s purpose or story, Annweiler, I. (2017). The Hermēs brand story is uniquely reflected on it’s logo. Hermēs used to produce harnesses and bridles for the carriages of noblemen and although it has changed its menu to producing bags and fashion items, this important origin of trade has contributed to the essence of Hermēs. Despite being confusing to some, the logo has gained iconic status as the logo of a brand with an image of the “duc carriage, horse and a groom”; a beautiful illustration of history condensed into a symbol(The Loupe | TrueFacet, 2017). In the end however, all of these visuals and strategies are there to act as a link to the important factor all successful organisations have mastered: brand perception. Brand perception is very often influenced by the emotional and psychological aspects of the consumer. By controlling the tone of voice, personality and design characteristics different brands appeal to different customers based on how these specific customers view the brand as a reflection of their own personal identity. Hence becoming a valuable asset to organisations as the driving force for a consumer’s action and possible future interaction (DeVault, G. 2017).
Having looked at the reasons as to the “why” organisations rely on corporate identities an elaborate picture can be painted of the “how”. Ikea and Hermēs, at first glance are diametrically opposed; wood and leather, blue and orange, san-serif and serif. Indeed both do have their differences retail and identity wise. Looking at Ikea’s wordmark, an acronym for founder Ingvar Kamprad, depicted using a Verdana font (National Post. 2017) – with the classic big, bold, bloated and somewhat basic letters that suggest Swedish need for functionalism and modern design from miles away. And then you have the authoritative accuracy of serif letters spelling out “Hermēs” with the iconic calèche thrown in for good measure – always timeless, always appealing on any bag or scarf. However letters being letters, must rely on the psychology of color to accentuate their meaning. Ikea’s famous uncoordinated blue and yellow are derived from the Swedish flag, but they embody specific ideals and emotions according to Ciotti, G., 2017. For example blue conveys trust and excellence while yellow brings out positivity and energy. A prompt that can affect our purchasing intent suggests Porter, J., 2017. Switching back to Hermēs however, the distinctive orange was a risky resort made to replace the original brown due to World War II shortages. Now Hermēs represents orange as the color that encompasses luxury, tastefulness, dynamism and warmth – fully claimed and trademark owned (Icon-icon.com. 2017).
What starts as a ripple of a sketchy corporate design piece can turn into a full blown wave when it comes into alignment with a brand’s meaning or purpose. One way this is achieved is through semiotics. Deep in our subconscious, we link direct meanings to symbols, a topic which has been examined since the times of Plato and Hippocrates (Sudarsan, S. 2017). Take for instance the simple arrows projected on a floor that hint at the remaining square feet to the checkout lane, or the excitement when the fork, spoon and plate signage appears which signifies a prospect of meatballs in an Ikea store. And then we have the frequent appearances of horse based activities integrated into luxury brands like Hermēs, Coach and Polo Ralph Lauren. A clear indication that horses are the symbols of power, wealth and status. Inextricably linked throughout history to aristocracy and now fused with luxury brands. A transparent promise of the elite class membership brands offer their consumers (E. Isbiroglu, I. 2017). But look behind the veil of these design differences and you will see that Hermēs and Ikea are not that different at all. Not to make a mistake in assuming that that difference affects distinction. They are very distinct, but they share qualities which explain how design plays its part in creating identity. Both use word marks, both stand out strategically from their competitors , both have a brand story and promise but most importantly: both have unmistakeable identities.
Behind the mask of corporate identity design, lies the true aim of an organisation. Ikea portrays itself as the “brand of many”. A democracy of living spaces and furniture, the Swedish way (the Guardian. 2017). Ikea has become an obvious trademark for the Swedish lifestyle, reflected all the way from store structure and spacing, colours and materials used to promote proximity to nature, functionality and durability of product design to the very brand colours that connote the Swedish flag along with Swedish names for products and food at the cafeteria. What Ikea sells customers is a desirable lifestyle, a promise of a simplification of life’s problems which start by providing home decor solutions (Walgrove, A.,2017).
This is seen through advertisements, interior design propositions in Ikea’s catalogues and even reflected by store map layouts and the straightforward advertisements of products in-store. Nevertheless how customers perceive the brand gave rise to what is known as the “Ikea Effect”. Because consumers actively contribute in terms of effort to a product or activity (assembly of Ikea’s furniture), this product gains value in our perception, and thus provides t
he satisfaction of a completed task (Silverthorne, S., 2017). Today, Ikea is perceived as a brand that allows for co-creation, is empowering and engaging (Coleman, D., 2016), convenient, cares about it’s customers, encourages personalisation (IKEA ID/EN., 2017) and adopts sustainable practices (Bobko, S. and Seale, B., 2017).
In comparison, Hermēs is much less direct. The mischievous “halo of exclusivity” around Hermēs products is strengthened by the splendour of the packaging acquired products come in (The Business of Fashion. 2017). Boxes that come in 188 sizes and products that feature collaborations with world illustrators and designers like Ugo Gattoni, promote Hermēs’s artisan craftsmanship and creativity, but are yet small outcomes of the effective identity of exclusivity through brand positioning. The precision of the corporate identity is propelled further by the psychological cunningness of a store design partnered with highly conceptual and visually delicious advertisements that tell a well rendered story of Hermēs’ brand DNA. This condenses in our minds to make Hermēs equivalent to: leather, equestrian, french and orange. Consequently, Hermēs is a “global power of luxury goods” reaping a net profit sky rocket high above the industry average (The Conversation. 2017). Thus by controlling our perception of a brand’s essence, orchestrated or not, organisations like Ikea and Hermēs play an integral part of the labels we assign ourselves and the reasons why we see a need to reconstruct our own identities in order to make our voices heard and our beliefs deemed important and relevant.
We shape our identity through a complicated timeline of events and factors in our lives, emotion being a key influencer and brands know this better than anyone: a prologue to consumer identity expression through brands and product purchased gives birth to the “I am what I buy” philosophy as examined by (Webdam, 2017). The inescapable interweaving of our own identities with those of the brands we buy shows us, and others, how we perceive ourselves and gives a coherent grasp on our personalities, values and beliefs (Faculty.fuqua.duke.edu. 2017). More specifically, a customer that steps into an Ikea store will probably value cost-consciousness, simplicity and yearn for the ideal of a Swedish lifestyle at home. Even more so, knowing that thousands of homes across the world have similar furniture designs means that this customer can belong to a group collective and become a key “cog” in an ever-spinning wheel of network that transmits these ideals to the world. It seems no one is exempted from this categorisation by identity. A Hermēs customer, by contrast would dream of buying a bag that denotes luxury and refinement, an exhibit of exquisite taste. This customer places value on their social status, which must be proven time and time again to peers and society, and which one day would lead them to enter a Hermēs store; where, if successful at procuring the elusive “Kelly” or “Birkin” bag they will experience a monumental shift in ego values and consciousness because they have officially been deemed worthy and lucky by the brand. And hence permitted to buy the coveted artistic piece, adding them to a small elite group that can boast ownership of one (Mail Online. 2017). In short, design and identity act as a crucial stimulant that can forever change how we experience our reality (Bradley, S. 2017).
To conclude, the corporate identity design of an organisation, be it Hermēs or Ikea creates an unprecedented experience for each one of us as consumers and has sovereignty over the influence, or possible formation of our personal identities. Today, the term “corporate identity design” has undergone a significant change in definition from comprising logos and names into a term that denotes skills which involve customer experience, digital media, brand activation and strategic positioning (Lapatine, 2017). The way in which brands communicate their purpose to us involves a myriad of techniques and strategies, design and corporate identity being the tool most frequently relied upon. Vision controls perception and is thus believed to be the most dominant of the senses (Groeger, 2017). The concept of identity is inevitable, but the power of choice lies within us to determine our own definition, which although linked to brands and organisations can never be compressed into something as rudimentary as a set of words or a materialistic possession, and under this surface – is where our true power lies, whether as designers or consumers.