The intranet needs to have a strong brand, a sense of identity that, at a basic level, distinguishes it from the public website and other information sources within the organisation. Beyond this, the intranet brand should be designed to build staff trust, and to convey a clear sense of what the intranet can offer and when it should be used.

This briefing explores the role of the intranet’s brand identity, as well as outlining how to put it into practice.

Lack of identity

Too many intranets consist of nothing more than a collection of many different intranet sub-sites, published by individual business units. With each of these sub-sites having a very different look-and-feel, it is hard to tell where the intranet starts and ends.

This situation is very damaging for the intranet, as there is no clear sense of identity for the site as a whole. Staff often have difficulty distinguishing between the intranet, the public website, and other sites on the broader internet.

It is also very hard for staff to find information, and the general level of trust in the intranet is often low.

Purpose of the intranet brand

The brand identity for the intranet serves many purposes, including:

• distinguishing the intranet from other information sources
• communicating the purpose and use of the intranet
• defining the scope and boundaries of the site
• building trust in the intranet
• supporting communications regarding the intranet

[CM Briefing 2006-10, read the full article]