Heather Maitland provides an overview of the key elements to consider relating to branding

How it works
Everything about your organisation contributes to its identity – your name and address, the way you answer the telephone, the prices you charge, the building from which you operate, your letterhead, your publicity material, what the press say about you and much more. our organisation’s identity must spring from a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging, not just a logo or a slogan. Its artistic work, the buildings in which it works and performs, the way it tells people about what it does and the attitude and behaviour of its staff must all reinforce this sense of purpose and belonging.

Your organisation’s identity must be so strong that people feel that they know what to expect when they see a show, meet a member of staff or visit your office. This means that it can work for you or against you. This kind of strong identity, which creates a set of perceptions in people’s minds, is also known as a brand. An effective corporate identity will help you to get your message across to those around you: funding bodies, potential sponsors, other arts organisations and, of course, your potential audience. It is also a potentially powerful way of communicating what your organisation is all about to people who have no direct contact with your activities. Most importantly, it will tell everybody what makes you different from all the other arts organisations around…

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