It is likely that “corporate image” is the most famous use of the word “image” within graphic design. However, this concept is startlingly non-visual.

In their Graphic Design History, Johanna Drucker and Emily McVarish discuss the role of Kenneth Boulding’s 1956 book, The Image, in promoting graphic design among corporate managers:

«The idea of value added by a symbolic profile gave rise to the perception that graphic designers could have a dramatic influence on the success of a corporation.»

Yet, Boulding’s Image is not a visual symbol. Instead, it offers a framework to conceptualize how an entity perceives the world. It is more like a mental image than a visual image:

«What I have been talking about is knowledge. Knowledge, perhaps, is not a good word for this. Perhaps one would rather say my Image of the world. […] The image is built up as a result of all past experience of the possessor of the image. Part of the image is the history of the image itself.»

The capacity to possess such an image is not limited to humans and living organisms but extends to institutions and organizations. Boulding remarks that:

«Organizations like organisms exhibit division of labor, specialization of the role, and a hierarchical structure of communication and authority. […] The behavior of the organization, however, must be interpreted as a result of the image of the executive, directed by his value system.»

Despite Boulding’s idea being markedly non-visual, the term «image» suggests visuality. This association underlined the importance of visual graphics in establishing a corporate identity.

For some time, visual identity and corporate image almost coincided. But now, graphic symbols are only a small part of vast and complex branding systems – the corporate image returned to its origins.