Branding and corporate identity a studio exploration of national veterinary research institute vom plateau state nigeria

Project Abstract

This research project focuses on branding and corporate identity exploration for the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) located in Vom, Plateau State, Nigeria. The NVRI plays a crucial role in veterinary research and disease control in Nigeria, yet its branding and corporate identity have not been optimized to reflect its significance and impact. Through a studio exploration approach, this research aims to develop a comprehensive branding strategy that aligns with the institute's mission, vision, and values. The study will begin with a detailed analysis of the current branding and corporate identity elements of the NVRI, including its logo, color palette, typography, and visual communication materials. By conducting interviews and surveys with stakeholders, including staff, researchers, veterinarians, and government officials, the research will gather insights into the perceptions of the NVRI's brand and identity. This qualitative data will inform the development of a new branding strategy that better represents the institute's expertise and contributions to the field of veterinary research. Using design thinking methodologies, the research will involve brainstorming sessions, mood board creation, and iterative design concepts to explore various directions for the NVRI's branding. Special attention will be paid to incorporating elements that reflect Nigeria's cultural heritage and the institute's commitment to advancing veterinary science in the country. The studio exploration will result in the creation of a new logo, color scheme, typography system, and brand guidelines for the NVRI. The impact of the new branding strategy will be evaluated through focus groups and surveys to assess stakeholders' perceptions of the NVRI's identity after the implementation of the new brand elements. By measuring key performance indicators such as brand recognition, credibility, and trustworthiness, the research will determine the effectiveness of the updated branding in enhancing the institute's reputation and visibility within the veterinary and scientific communities. Overall, this research project aims to elevate the branding and corporate identity of the National Veterinary Research Institute in Vom, Plateau State, Nigeria, to better reflect its status as a leading institution in veterinary research and disease control. Through a studio exploration approach, the research will provide valuable insights and recommendations for strengthening the institute's brand presence and fostering a sense of pride and recognition among stakeholders.

Project Overview

<p> 1.0 Introduction<br>1.1 Background of the Study<br>Branding is the process of developing a company’s brand; including the name, identity system<br>and messaging platform. The brand message is then applied to marketing campaigns and<br>collateral, which are intended to spread that brand message. Brand can also mean a name given<br>to a product for easy identification by costumer or consumer. Corporate identity is not brand, a<br>brand is the idea behind a company’s identity, the impression people have of the establishment.<br>A brand is what a company or establishment stand for, believe in, behave like, and perceived by<br>those that conduct business with it or otherwise experience interaction with it. It’s the collective<br>sum of what an organization stand for. A brand takes time to build, because it’s defined by what<br>others think about it, and such impressions (be it positive or negative) take time to form and<br>build. Branding process involves creating a unique name and image for a product in the<br>consumers’ mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims<br>to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal<br>customers. (Business2community (2015)<br>Branding is the process through which design and marketing professionals and firms help<br>companies determine who they are and communicate about it. It is the process of crafting<br>messages and communication materials that will help to form the impressions people will have<br>about that company — the process of developing consistently applied communications that<br>express who the company is. Branding is not only a destination but it is nearly always an<br>ongoing process that evolves as a company grows.<br>2<br>Wikipedia defines corporate identity as the overall image of a corporation, firm or business in the<br>minds of diverse public, such as customers, investors and employees. It is a primary task of<br>the corporate communications department to maintain and build this identity to accord with and<br>facilitate the attainment of business objectives. It is usually visibly manifested by way<br>of branding and the use of trade marks. Corporate identity comes into being when there is a<br>common ownership of an organizational philosophy that is manifest in a distinct corporate<br>culture. At its most profound, the public feel that they have ownership of the philosophy.<br>Corporate identity helps organizations to answer questions like “who are we?” and “where are we<br>going?”<br>Corporate identity also allows consumers to denote their sense of belonging with particular<br>human aggregates or groups. In general, this amounts to a corporate title, logo (logotype and/or<br>logogram) and supporting devices commonly assembled within a set of guidelines. These<br>guidelines govern how the identity is applied and confirm approved colour palettes, typefaces,<br>page layouts and other.<br>Corporate branding refers to the practice of promoting the brand name of a corporate entity, as<br>opposed to specific products or service. The activities and thinking that go into corporate<br>branding are different from product and service branding because the scope of a corporate brand<br>is typically much broader. Wikipedia (2015)<br>Corporate branding is not limited to a specific mark or name. Branding can incorporate multiple<br>touch points. These include logo, customer service, treatment and training of employee,<br>packaging, advertising, stationery and quality of products and services. Any means by which the<br>general public comes in contact with a specific product constitutes a touch point that can affect<br>perceptions of the corporate brand. As never before, people care about the corporation behind the<br>3<br>product. They do not separate their opinions about the company from their opinions of that<br>company’s products or services.<br>Corporation is a company or group of people authorized to act as a single entity (legally a<br>person) and recognized as such in law. The word corporation is most used to describe large<br>business corporations. A corporate identity is the overall image of a corporation, firm or business<br>in the minds of diverse public, such as customers, investors and employees. It is usually visibly<br>manifested by way of branding and the use of trademarks.<br>Business dictionary define identity as the visible elements of a brand (such as colours, design,<br>logotype, name, and symbol) that together identify and distinguish the brand in the consumers’<br>mind. The improper and inadequate branding for the Institute motivated the researcher to<br>research on proper visual studio exploration for NVRI. The misinformation, non-educative, nonadvertisement<br>at the Institute because of branding motivated the researcher to carry out the<br>research. Inadequate branding in developing countries of Africa like Nigeria has profound<br>consequences and effects on their economy.<br>It’s pertinent for the researcher to define advertisement as relation to branding and corporate<br>identity because these are all forms of advertisement and communication. Advertisement by<br>Wikipedia is a form of marketing communication used to persuade an audience to take or<br>continue some action, usually with respect to a commercial offering, or political or ideological<br>support. In Latin, ad vertere means “to turn toward”. The purpose of advertising may also be to<br>reassure employees or shareholders that a company is viable or successful. Advertising messages<br>are usually paid for by sponsors and viewed via various media; including mass media such as<br>newspaper, magazines, television and radio advertisement, outdoor or direct mail; or new<br>media such as blogs, websites or text messages.<br>4<br>Now are days, all form of advertisements are in vogue by means branding in form of car, school,<br>house t-shirt, faze cap, posters, billboards, web, and so on.<br>1.2 NVRI (National Veterinary Research Institute)<br>NVRI is located in Vom, Plateau State Nigeria where researches on veterinaries are been carried<br>out. This institute was established in South and West Africa to combat the first panzootic of<br>Rinderpest in West Africa that occurred between 1885-1890, that caused deaths of over 90% of<br>the cattle population. The second wave of the panzootic occurred between 1913 and 1914 and<br>culminated in a drastic reduction of cattle population from 9.01million to 2.7 million. The<br>Institute is endowed with highly trained manpower with experienced research Scientist in varied<br>fields of Veterinary Sciences and other fields of Applied Sciences and a number of Medical<br>Laboratory and Animal Husbandry Scientists. The institute is also engaged in research for the<br>development of new vaccines or other methods of disease control to combat emerging diseases<br>of livestock and poultry. The improvement of vaccines production is the Institute’s primary area<br>of focus. NVRI (Annual Reports 2013)<br>The NVRI has mandate by virtue of the Agricultural Research Institute Decree 35 of 1975, the<br>name Federal Department of Veterinary Research was changed to National Veterinary Research<br>Institute (NVRI) and has its Mandate as follows: To conduct Research into all aspects of animal<br>diseases, their Treatment and Control. To develop and Produce animal Vaccines, Sera and<br>Biological to meet the National demand to provide Surveillance and Diagnosis of animal<br>diseases. To introduce Exotic Stock for improved egg, meat and milk production. To provide<br>Extension Services to poultry and livestock farmers. To Train intermediate Manpower in<br>Veterinary Laboratory Technology and Animal Health and Production Technology. The<br>Veterinary Institute is committed to research excellence and the production of standard quality<br>5<br>vaccines for the livestock industry. The mission statement is “To be the foremost Veterinary<br>Research Institute in Africa, producing international quality vaccines and offering services for<br>the identification, control, and eradication of economically important livestock diseases, through<br>best practices, research excellence, and applying modern technology, with highly trained,<br>experienced and motivated personnel”. NVRI Annual Report (2013)<br>1.3 The Vaccine<br>Encyclopedia defines vaccines are their major products for different animals against<br>virus/diseases would be more concentrate upon as studio exploration. There are thirteen (13)<br>different types for treatment of different animals. Vaccine, an antigenic substance prepared from<br>the causative agent of a disease or a synthetic substitute, used to provide immunity against one or<br>several diseases. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing<br>microorganism and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or<br>one of its surface proteins. The agent stimulates the body’s immune system to recognize the<br>agent as foreign, destroy it, and keep a record of it, so that the immune system can more easily<br>recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters. Other products are<br>eggs, birds, (quails, duck, and chickens). They also carry laboratory research on veterinary as a<br>whole and have branches all over the nation.<br>1.4 Statement of the Problem<br>One of the problems in Nigerian products is lack of proper packaging. The statement is pertinent<br>at this time when they are different ways these products are being branded with different<br>materials therefore giving wrong information. Non-educative, non-advertisement for the wrong<br>material used in the Institute. These lack of adequate designed branding for NVRI, motivated the<br>6<br>research to carry out the research. The major problem of this study arises as a result of improper<br>packaging and branding.<br>The researcher therefore, intend to explore a studio approaches in branding the largest vaccines<br>produce Institute in West Africa, National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) located in Vom,<br>Plateau State, Nigeria to; Promote; Advertise; inform, identified, market, etc.<br>1.5 Objective of the Study<br>The objective of this study is to brand, promote and advertise NVRI, Vom products. Branding<br>and corporate identity play a vital role in any institute for a swell marketing and advertisement.<br>The researcher will therefore explore studio approaches for the branding and corporate identity:<br>a. Use the studio exploration as a means of information, to the end users in the community<br>at large.<br>b. The branding will promote the products and the Institute at large.<br>c. To design various visual ways/means/methods that will advertise, inform and<br>communicate about the institute and their products to the nation.<br>d. To promote the uses of the vaccine for animals.<br>e. For easy identification of the product from others or fake products in the market.<br>1.6 Specific Aim<br>To explore various studio exploration/design for effective visual communication for the vaccines<br>and NVRI at large. This comes in form of branding and corporate identity in relation to colours,<br>materials, forms, fonts with principle and elements of design, for their logo, poster, billboard,<br>flyer, calendar and so on.<br>7<br>1.7 Significance of the Study<br>This project paper will help in branding NVRI for effective visual communication and her<br>products. It will also advertise and promote the products and the institute. It will also serve as a<br>means of communication/information dissemination to the commuters. Majority of farmers,<br>poultry and dog owners will be aware of the vaccines, the major product of the institute. It will<br>add to literature in the area of visual communication.<br>1.8 Scope of the Study<br>This project research is restricted studio exploration for effective visual communication for<br>branding and corporate identity of NVRI, Vom.<br>1.9 Limitation<br>Finance has been the major limitation not only in life but in arts material. Most of machines to<br>produce/explore the process of branding NVRI are quite expensive therefore making it difficult<br>to access. Time constraints cannot be overstretched, that has limited most thing in life generally<br>let alone in this studio exploration. The technologies aspect of this studio exploration are not<br>easily come by such as Lab photo printer, Direct Image (DI) printer. In Nigeria, most of the<br>visual softwares like adobe CS 6/CC, web creator, blender, for the design are not authentic, and<br>even aperture software designed for only Mac (apple system) and not for windows therefore<br>making the design limited to access and soon expired. Another limitation is getting pictures of<br>poultry, dog owners, and famers administering the vaccine to cows because of insurgent in the<br>north as the time of filing the report. The nature of copy right protection could not allow me to<br>8<br>enter some of the laboratories in the institute to take data was another concern.<br>9 <br></p>