A trademark is a universal identifier that helps distinguish one manufacturer’s original product or service from similar products of another. Some marks that have been on the market for many years have become the world’s most expensive brands:
Trademark registration: necessity or personal desire
If your trademark is not registered, your product cannot be protected from infringement by third parties. This means that an unregistered mark does not have any exclusive rights, and all your achievements can be used by competitors without authorization.
That said, anyone can register the exact same trademark or logo, and the process of proving plagiarism will take up a lot of time, money and nerve cells.
Therefore, registration of a trademark is a mandatory procedure for products that an entrepreneur wants to market safely. After registration, the owner has a unique right to use the name of the product. It is guaranteed by the law “On trademarks, service marks and appellations of origin of goods”.
Another important point is that the registered mark is bound to a certain type of product (selected from the International Classification of Goods and Services, where there are 45 of them).
It should be remembered that there are certain rules when registering a trademark that should be adhered to.
- Distinctiveness. The image of the mark to be registered must bear a certain semantic load. Individual numbers, letters, abbreviations of certain organizations must not be used.
- Common symbols, terms, symbols of the characteristic or type of goods in relation to which the mark is applied for must not be used.
- The trademark must not offend anyone’s sensibilities or violate spelling standards.
- Do not mislead the audience by using designations that evoke perceptions of the product or those that are not true.
- The rights of third parties must not be affected and copyrights, including those specified in the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, must not be infringed.
- State symbols may not be used without the consent of the relevant authorities.
- Names and images with cultural or natural value should not be used.
- You may not use those marks that are protected in other countries (“cognac”, “champagne”, etc.)
Corporate identity is a way to distinguish yourself
Together, a logo and a trademark constitute a corporate identity or corporate identity.Today it is:
- A means of communication between the producer and the consumer;
- one of the options for attracting the buyer’s attention;
- a modern way to advertise your product.
The main tasks that corporate identity fulfills:
- quickly recognizable, easily remembered image of the organization, forming an association in the minds of consumers: quality – corporate logo;
- The identification of a product or advertisement with a particular firm;
- helps to stand out among competitors and help the customer to make a choice.
Proper corporate identity simplifies the consumer’s perception of the goods of a certain company, as well as the development of marketing tasks to promote the product. In general, the development of corporate identity is the main way to fight for the consumer.
Corporate identity development includes the development of a corporate identity:
- trademark;
- emblems;
- of the slogan;
- other forms of brand identity.
Trademark development – a stage on the way to creating a well-known brand
A trademark should convey the necessary information about the product to the consumer. When developing the design, it is necessary to optimize the information that the potential buyer will receive. Studies have shown that consumers better perceive the color designations of a trademark.
Often the success of a product depends on a successfully created trademark. A trademark is not just a picture, it is information about the product and the company. It is an individual image that should be remembered and associated with the company. It should be simple and readable for the consumer, concise and meaningful. A trademark is the same product, which will become more expensive over time and with the growing popularity of the product.
When creating a trademark it is necessary to remember about the method of its application: due to the complexity and the large number of elements, the image can be distorted, so it is better to create a simple but unique sign, which will be easy to apply.
Sign design: brand distinction
Firms use such designations as trademarks:
- verbal labels (word, phrase);
- elements of graphics (drawing, image);
- uniform marks (packaging designs);
- combinations of elements.
Modern manufacturers also use sounds and smells as signs.
When creating word designations, graphic spellings are used. Such execution may concern the whole company name(Coca-Cola), a letter abbreviation(MTS), a certain product(Fanta).
Graphic elements are a picture or emblem of the company. In this case, pictures with the image may be registered:
- of an animal;
- a human being;
- of a natural object;
- abstraction;
- composition.
A striking example of the use of a three-dimensional mark is the patented bottle shape Coca-Cola.
The use of multiple parts can be seen in the company’s sign Adidas in the shape of a triangle with three stripes and a signature.
A radio or television station’s trademark may be a tune or sound, such as “20th CENTURY FOX” and “Metro Goldwyn Mayer“
Logo development: the story in the mark
A logo is a symbol, an important element of corporate identity that is easy to remember.
When creating a logo, details such as these are used:
- symbol – graphic elements that tell a story about the company or its activities;
- font is the company name;
- combination – a combination of a symbol and a font.
When making a company logo, itis necessary to use universal, original, expressive and concise signs that will be well perceived by the consumer. When designing a logo, it is necessary to take into account such details:
- the emblem should be easy to understand;
- all elements of the logo should fit together seamlessly;
- the emblem should be bright and clear.
Corporate slogan – the main idea
A corporate slogan is used to convey the main idea of an advertising campaign or the entire firm. If a slogan is used as a company motto, it acquires important features inherent in the company’s corporate identity, which allows it to be registered as a trademark. A corporate slogan is an image that is perceived by the consumer not only visually, but also by ear. It helps to define the company’s features and distinguish it from its competitors.
Signature color
Another part of corporate identity that helps to stand out is color. A successfully chosen color scheme evokes associations with the activities of a certain company (yellow and red – McDonald’s) and its products.
When choosing a corporate color palette, it is necessary to take into account the associations they evoke. For example, if the company produces dairy products, it should use white color, is engaged in plants and everything that is associated with them – green. Blue works in the provision of insurance or consulting services. Also, when choosing colors, it is necessary to take into account the combination of colors, their surroundings and the way they are transferred to the goods.
Interesting fact: even if you register a trademark in black and white, its reproduction in any color scheme is protected. And if you register a mark in color, only the color solution that was filed at the time of registration is protected.
Brand font
The choice of font is not the least important in the development of a corporate mark. Basically, it depends on the direction of the company: a company producing women’s products uses light, unobtrusive fonts(Oriflame). Official institutions, such as banks or insurance companies use business clear font with straight lines that symbolize reliability, and companies engaged in the production of goods for children, often use playful fonts that are perceived as children’s, modern. Whatever font a company chooses for the company logo, the inscription must be readable and understandable to the consumer, so the main information should be written in a simpler font.
Branded ways of identification
Corporate identity is not limited to the use of a particular feature for which a patent has been obtained. As an element of corporate identity, the original form of advertisements inherent to the firm, a corporate hero endowed with certain qualities that convey the goals and views of the company are used. Also, companies often use cartoon characters to communicate with the consumer. It is also possible to use a real person, the face of the company, who can be a simple employee or a celebrity.
To some extent, an element of corporate identity is also considered to be intra-company features: clothing or etiquette.
In general, the elements of corporate identity can be hundreds of details that can highlight the firm, but in practice use a small number of them, which we have listed in this article.
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