Design Thinking and Cognitive Patterns in Corporate Image Shaping: A Case Study of Formosa Plastics Group’s Corporate Identity System (CIS)

The Corporate identity systems play an important role in establishing corporate image. These systems include brand positioning, product design and overall packaging, among which “Visual Identity (VI)” is the first impression that leads consumers to understand the company. A perfect VI can highlight the brand spirit and establish visual distinction in the market. Therefore, among the three major concepts of modern corporate identity system (CIS), the importance of VI has gradually been strengthened, and “Mind Identity (MI)” and “Behavior Identity (BI)” is relatively downplayed. Formosa Plastics Group was the first company in Taiwan to introduce a corporate identification system. This was due to Mr. Yong-Qing, Wang, inviting Shux-Xiong, Guo, to design the CIS corporate trademark for Formosa Plastics Group, thus starting the trend of industrial design in Taiwan. What is even more commendable is that Formosa Plastics launched the CIS manual half a century ago. Its unique and innovative act was the first of its kind in the industry at the time. This article takes the Formosa Plastics corporate identity system as an example, uses the method of qualitative data analysis, and uses private communication with Shux-Xiong, Guo, to learn more about the creativity and ingenuity of the Formosa Plastics corporate identity system back then. At the same time, a set of CIS design, evaluation and recognition models are proposed to understand the general audience’s perception and preferences of CIS systems. Research has found that corporate identity systems play an important role in establishing brand image, forming market competitive advantages, improving customer experience, strengthening social responsibility, and consolidating corporate culture. This study explores the value of Formosa Plastics’ corporate identity system in Taiwan’s design history, and explores the future trend of CIS design through the model proposed in this study.