In marketing, a corporate identity (CI) is the "persona" of a corporation which is designed to accord with and facilitate the attainment of business objectives, and is usually visibly manifested by way of branding and the use of trademarks.

Corporate identity comes into being when there is a common ownership of an organisational philosophy which is manifest in a distinct corporate culture - the corporate personality. At its most profound, the public feel that they have ownership of the philosophy. (Balmer, 1995).

In general, this amounts to a logo (logotype and/or logogram) and supporting devices commonly assembled within a set of guidelines. These guidelines govern how the identity is applied and confirm approved colour palettes, typefaces, page layouts and other such methods of maintaining visual continuity and brand recognition across all physical manifestations of the brand.

I got the leg up on this when I was employed by Peachtree software in Atlanta Ga.  I was able to work with the in-house design guru.  Tim gave me direction and philosophy.  I have refined and applied that over time. 

I have created logo types for many projects and have also partnered with some great external design firms to accomplish a wider range of offerings from simple logo types.  When a wider range of printing, promotional items and brochures are needs I feel it is a wise idea to turn to professional graphic artists to handle that task.