The inalienable value of visual identity. An analysis of visual representations in the Italian Third Sector

In spite of the current investment of organizations in social media and digital communication strategies we should not forget the role and power of traditional communication tools, first of all the brand identification system. The literature of brand identity has long been focused on the visual strategies of companies and for profit organizations, as a result of the close attention paid by companies to restyling brands and logos. The aim of these investments was to promote a clear and coherent transmission of values, culture, history and identity. The public administration also devoted attention to the restyling brands and logos. Instead in the Third Sector the attention to visual identity has remained inadequate. Currently, there is an important growth of the Italian Third Sector and an increasing number of civil associations, voluntary, non-governmental organizations. The competition for obtaining resources and engaging stakeholders are today important issue for non-profit organizations. Therefore, some of the main requirements of a good visual identity strategy (colours codes, originality, attraction, graphic quality, off and on-line transposition) are fundamental also for the non-profit sector. What are the recurring characteristics of the visual identity strategies of the Italian Third Sector? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the visual identity strategy used by non-profit organizations? The contribution will answer the following questions starting from a quantitative and qualitative analysis on the visual communication strategies of the 81 networks adherent to the National Forum of the Third Sector, the main Italian network of non-profit organizations and associations.