Trupanion, medical insurance for pets, was busting at the seams and moved into an expansive 67,000 sq. ft. location. The new office offered much needed space for their rapidly growing staff, two play areas for the over 200 dogs who go to work each day, public huddle areas and private rooms of varying sizes for meetings, presentations, continuing education, as well as rooms for a quick, private phone call.
Our Strategy :: Heart of a Hero
Trupanion was founded in 2000 and has been in rapid growth since—shifting the paradigm in a staid, untrustworthy industry. The company had undergone a brand redesign in 2011, but had strayed a bit in the ensuing years. The Q&A team spent months refining the voice to get the brand back to their true north—with a focus on the bond we have with our pets and how they enrich our lives. A story we monikered “The Heart of a Hero”:
Few would disagree that pets have the heart of a hero and the soul of a clown. Possessing equal parts loyalty, courage, and humor, they are capable of inspiring and moving us—asking for only love in return. They teach us how to devour life and wring from it all we can.
The first formal execution of the brand story would be for the staff. We envisioned it threaded throughout the space—layers of heroism, comedy and love. We began with the anchor of the conference rooms. Each conference room is named for an insured pet. Signage displayed perpendicular to the wall and in the shape of a pet tag, was designed to give staff an at-a-glance ability to find their room. To provide privacy for meetings and those who may be presenting sensitive information on large screens, a semi-opaque vinyl treatment was designed. Each window featured a simple, striped pattern with a brand color (matching the color of the conference room interior) and one of six TRU words (e.g. TRULove, TRUDevotion, TRUFriendship, etc.). A challenging puzzle to distribute among the 22 rooms without repeating within the same region.
To reinforce the brand story, policyholder testimonials are featured, with quotes from thankful pet owners, and a portrait of the pet on stretched canvas. Stories of heroic dogs and cats in history are highlighted with plaques designed to honor them. Dog and cat “isms” are displayed to warm the heart and get a good laugh. True to the company’s spirit of love and devotion, a memorial wall was created for the pets who came to work each day, and are no longer with us. And for the two playrooms, murals of northwest scenes by artist Michael Marsicano, create a beautiful space for staff, looking to get some play time with their furry friend.
With such a large undertaking, installation took place over the course of multiple days. Each day was met with excitement and praise from the staff. Kudos such as “I’m excited to give visitors a tour of the office,” and “This reminds us why we do what we do,” were voiced.
