Putting the TWIT in IT
An Example of Branding Done Well
Recently I’ve been searching for a great branding example that defines, sets the standards, integrates its guidelines and has a positive outcome for a company, business or organization. Little did I know, it was only a short drive outside of the city.
When I think of IT departments I imagine dark, dingy basements mixed with the aromas of sweat and inactivity. I was happily surprised to find this not to be the case on a recent visit to Trinity Western University’s IT department. Of course it’s located in the basement of one of the main campus buildings, however, the vibe and atmosphere are far from any IT office I have ever walked into. Painted in neon pink and decorated eclectically with theatre style seating, a fireplace and old refurbished wine barrels for a desk, Chris Nash greets guests with an exuberant ‘Hello’ and warm, friendly smile. In his short 4 years employed at the university he has creatively changed the way students, staff and faculty interact with the IT department on campus. We chatted briefly about how and why he chose to brand the department, now known as TWIT.
What was the IT department like when you first started working here?
When I started, they (like many IT departments) had a reputation for being introverted and aloof, which was actually not even the case. They just didn’t know how to express themselves within the greater campus culture.
Has it changed much over the time you’ve been here?
Oh, so much. Once I got my own office, my bosses really encouraged me to make the customer service experience my own. I’m a theatre performer in my spare time, so I understand the importance of spectacle and first impressions. The office I adopted was exceedingly boring. So I took to Craigslist and found two wine barrels in northern Washington, which I used as the foundation for a desk. After that, I found some theatre seats and an electric fireplace (also from Craigslist) and suddenly I had a very unique office. The physical change alone was enough to evoke a response amongst the campus community. Suddenly the grumpy old IT trolls weren’t afraid to have some fun.
Why did you choose the name TWIT?
Ah yes, TWIT: my Sistine Chapel. Haha, I chose it because it’s self-deprecating in a harmless way. The acronym pretty much wrote itself, I just needed to breathe some life into it. So I worked with our Univerity Marketing department to create some branding that met the TWU-standard and I displayed it boldly. My favourite reaction is when people believe they’re the first to put it together. They’ll say to me, “Did you know that your office says TWIT on it? You better be careful or people will think you’re a TWIT. We’ve got some TWITs up in our office — heh heh heh.” I hear the same jokes repeated weekly and I love it; people just like to join in the fun.
What was your inspiration for your colour scheme?
I went with hot pink (or as Home Depot calls it — Orchid Rose) because it was the exact opposite of what everyone was expecting. It’s the opposite of any IT office I’ve ever set foot in, and that’s why I love it. I have two stripes that go all the way around the room as well as one feature wall that’s entirely pink. The entire door is pink. All of our TWIT branding is pink. I know there are some guys in our department who hate it… but fortunately it wasn’t their call. I stand by it proudly, as do my bosses. And it’s really eliminated the need for our signage. Now anytime someone needs to find the Helpdesk, they just get sent to our building and told to look for ‘The Pink Room’.
Was it difficult to get your name, theme and overall brand approved by the university? How long did it take you?
As far university projects go, it was very quick! However, that was still a process of several weeks. My bosses approved right away, so that was great. After a week or two of going back and forth with small issues, the marketing team was all too happy to have one of their designers whip me up a shiny new logo. After that, I was off to the races.
Have you seen a change in how people interact with the department now as compared to when you first started?
Absolutely. One of the objectives of the Client Services subsection of IT has been to be more proactive than reactive when it comes to helping our customers. I think people have really noticed that. We really try and we really care. Customer service can only be taught to a point; the desire to truly help people needs to be an intrinsic value within your employees — that’s what separates a good team from a great team. As for simple day-to-day interactions, I just try to have fun. People are often thrown off by that. They always storm into the office prepared for battle. But when they get there, there’s no battle to be found; just an ally. It really puts them at ease. The whole process reminds me a lot of stand up comedy — the audience always comes in a bit jaded, waiting to see if you can impress them. You’re always trying to win them over.
Would you change anything you’ve done so far?
Yeah, I would ask more questions. When I started out, I was afraid to ask questions because I thought I would come across dumb. The rest of the team was lightyears ahead of me in terms of tech knowledge and experience, and sometimes I felt inferior. But over time I came to realize that they are just as inspired by my skill set as I am of theirs. Now there’s a mutual respect between us all. I feel comfortable asking them questions and vice versa.
What are the plans you foresee for this department for the next 5 years?
My longterm plan has always been getting the students on our side. That is absolutely essential for a school, regardless of the cost. Pizza parties, Smash Days, free printing — whatever it is, get the student body to support you. So, to ensure that we become (and stay) beloved over the next five years, I have begun hiring Student Workers. They really have their ears to the ground in a way that we ancient employees simply can’t. And I always try to hire across all disciplines as well. In the past two years we’ve had Student Workers majoring in Communications, Theatre, Nursing, Biblical Studies, Education, Business and Human Kinetics. We’ve had both commuters and residents. This does wonders for extending our brand out into the campus. Each of our Student Workers is an ambassador for TWIT, and I try to make their job as fun as possible, so it reflects in the way they speak about the department. So, to answer the question bluntly: students, students and more students. They are hands-down the largest demographic we deal with; it would be foolish not to appeal to them.
Why was branding important to you?
Because I got to really explore my God-given penchant for being a bigmouth. I got to say, “Hey everyone, look over here!” in a variety of creative ways. So that satisfied my right-brain desire for bright colours and loud noises. However, I also got to flex my left-brain muscles by making sure that once people did look over here, we had a solid foundation of online services, knowledgeable techs and helpful frontline staff. I mean, branding is only skin-deep, right?
Special thanks to Chris Nash for taking the time to answer my demanding questions.
