THE VISUAL IMAGE OF AN ENTERPRISE AS A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

In the competitive environment of the construction industry, the effectiveness of enterprises largely depends on their socio-economic interaction and the corresponding communication policy. Considerable attention is also paid to the issues of formation and management of the corporate identity system. The purpose of this article is to present the results of research into the specific features of constructing visual images of construction industry enterprises used as trademarks for goods and services. The elements of corporate identity (trademarks for goods and services) of leading research and design institutes of the construction industry with many years of history, located in Kyiv (10), were selected for the study. The source base consists of official, scientific, reference and promotional publications; information on the establishment, main areas, and results of the institutes’ activities obtained from open sources. The following methods were applied: – source studies; – semiotic and critical analysis, content analysis; – a systemic approach to the study of objects as components of corporate identity, and their influence on the formation of a stable image in the memory of the target audience. It has been established that the selected elements of corporate identity belong to combined-type trademarks; their linguistic and figurative components coincide in meaning; they reflect affiliation with the construction industry and are oriented toward informing about the enterprises’ specialization, existing experience, and achievements. The abbreviated names of the institutes are present in all trademarks; they are presented using initial abbreviations (2) and compound abbreviated forms (8). The corresponding designations draw attention to the years of establishment (2); connections with the regions of Ukraine (1), Kyiv (4), the national community (1); and the fact that the trademark has acquired legal protection (1). It has been revealed that, alongside conventional stylized and formalized images of construction objects, structures, and architectural details (7), certain real-life objects are reproduced in the trademarks (3). The high level of detail in the trademark images recalls cultural heritage objects that require preservation and protection (2). A tendency to adhere to the techniques and rules for the execution and design of construction drawings of building objects is observed. Special attention is given to a trademark for goods and services with a high level of detail of architectural elements, a component of which is a stylized image of the crowning element of a building – the high-rise dominant of the development of Andriivskyi Descent in Kyiv. The consequences of the military urbicide of 2022–2026 and the enormous volume of complex restoration and reconstruction works in which construction industry enterprises are involved may become a starting point for the diversification of enterprises’ activities and the production of new types of products. The updating of corporate identity systems under wartime and post-war challenges, changes in marketing strategies, and visual identification tools of scientific and technical products may contribute to the formation of new visual images to be used as trademarks for goods and services.