For years, parents, teachers and guidance counselors have been telling us “go do something with computers” if we want to grow up and get a good job. But incredibly, there still aren’t enough good information technology workers to meet the demand for skilled jobs.
That’s what led to the creation of the Consortium for Enterprise Systems Management. Unfortunately, that name led to a whole lot of “Huh?”
The organization asked Chernoff Newman to help develop a new brand identity that better communicates its mission. Even more importantly, the brand had to appeal to 8th-12th graders, the primary audience the group wants to inspire to pursue jobs in information technology.
In January 2011, the consortium revealed its new brand: IT-ology, a name and a logo that play off kids’ familiarity with texting and social media.
The inspiration came from emoticons, the cute little symbols like this :-> that show up every time you get a text message from your daughter or an email from that guy in accounting.
The “oLo” resembles a smiley-face, and we used that and more emoticons to adorn the walls, windows and even the sidewalks outside of IT-ology’s new state-of-the-art computer labs, training spaces and high-tech theater.
Learn more about IT-ology and check out some of the media coverage of the brand launch.