Performance-Driven Marketing for Purpose-Driven Companies & Causes
TWIST is a brand and advertising agency that delivers highperformance marketing for purpose-led organizations— especially private schools, nonprofits, foundations, and forprofits with purpose. Our fixed-fee service packages identify and amplify the good at the heart of your mission—driving sales, donations, and student enrollment with no hidden costs.
“ ”For more than a decade TWIST has been Sisters of Charity’s Agency Partner. TWIST has helped reposition and reintroduce a hospital to the Cleveland market, re-brand the entire health system, design and launch several websites, help negotiate the brand through joint ventures and acquisitions of other practices, as well as consult in an ongoing capacity regarding community outreach. We don’t make a move without them.
Heather Stoll Vice President External Affairs, Sisters of Charity Health System
in Business
Average Client Size in Gross Revenue
$500M+
Average Client Relationships 7.5 Years
MIKE OZAN Co-Founder + CEO, TWIST Creative
Meet Our Team.
MIKE OZAN, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Michael co-founded TWIST Creative with his wife Connie, uniting their skills in storytelling and design to challenge mediocrity. Fascinated since childhood by advertising’s power to shape perception, Michael has dedicated his career to empowering education and nonprofit leaders with strategic branding and compelling messaging that drives measurable results. Recognizing how often organizations waste precious marketing dollars on scattered tactics, Michael helped develop TWIST’s innovative model—transparent, performance-driven branding and marketing packages built specifically to deliver clarity, accountability, and meaningful outcomes.
Under Michael’s leadership, TWIST has helped private and faith-based schools grow enrollment, inspired donors through powerful storytelling, and tackled complex community challenges through impactful initiatives. Guided by TWIST’s mantra, “Amplify Good,” Michael ensures every project harnesses the persuasive power of branding for meaningful, lasting change. He leads with enthusiasm and strategic clarity, enabling clients to achieve ambitious goals, deepen community connections, and elevate their impact.
CONNIE OZAN, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer
Connie combines timeless design principles with innovative thinking to deliver brands that stand the test of time. As Co-Founder and CCO of TWIST, she has led the creative vision behind more than 200 award-winning brand campaigns, spanning a wide array of education, nonprofit, and corporate clients. Her work has garnered recognition from local, regional, and national organizations and has been featured in prestigious international design annuals like AIGA 365. Mentoring a talented team of designers, Connie champions both creative exploration and meticulous execution, resulting in work that’s not just visually striking but strategically on point. Whether collaborating with clients or inspiring future designers as an adjunct professor at Cleveland State University, she approaches each project with empathy, insight, and uncompromising quality. Connie’s passion for design—and seeing clients succeed—continues to shape the agency’s creative heartbeat.
CHARLENE COUGHLIN, Partner & President
Charlene has dedicated her entire career to building strategic alliances and is now leading TWIST as President and Partner. With over two decades of ad agency and client experience, Charlene brings organizational and financial oversight to every partnership, working tirelessly to grow brands, drive transformation, and deliver results. Charlene has built a solid portfolio of brand experience, having been instrumental in the launch of dozens of products into the B2B, B2C, retail, and restaurant spaces. Charlene is recognized as a true leader in the advertising community. She is a newly inducted member of Chief, was named a 2020 Adweek Executive Mentee, and was awarded the honor of serving as Vice President of Programming for AAF Cleveland. After several years in the non-profit world, Charlene continues her commitment to the causes she’s passionate about as a member of the board at Lutheran High School West and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
STEFANIE D’ANGELO, Vice President of Operations
As Vice President of Operations, Stefanie brings to TWIST nearly two decades of administrative experience with an international law firm where she collaborated with executive-level professionals and their clients. Stefanie’s responsibilities include client communication, project scheduling and management, internal organization, and vendor relations. During her time at TWIST, she has become crucial in maintaining client relations, introducing new systems to the organization, and streamlining account management that enables the internal team to efficiently and effectively meet our clients’ goals.
ANDREA BUSKIRK, Account Director
Andrea is a proven and passionate people leader. Her depth of knowledge encompasses client services, project management, and crisis management. She embraces collaboration and creativity, engaging stakeholders in new ways to build brands. As TWIST’s Account Director, Andrea develops trusted relationships and provides strategic and autonomous counsel to clients. Prior to joining TWIST, Andrea was an elementary school teacher in Las Vegas. Ask her about her inspiring journey home to Cleveland.
RACHEL TEUSCHER, A ssociate Creative Director
Rachel Teuscher is both a designer, a planner, and an organizer. Her unique ability to understand the project, the deadline, and how to effectively and efficiently reach the goal has provided leadership throughout the agency. She has been with TWIST Creative for almost four years as a graphic designer and design manager. Rachel is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a B.A. in graphic design. She has previously worked at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and has studied art and photography at the University of Westminster in London, U.K.
THIAGO WIMBERLY, Associate Creative Director
A Fearless Thinker passionate about all things design, Thiago Wimberly brings his design expertise and energy to every project he touches. Thiago was born and raised in Brazil, is a New Yorker at heart and brings his love for people, art, and pop culture to the agency. He is a problem solver, collaborator and savvy when it comes to staying ahead of all design trends. Thiago prides himself on solving problems in unconventional ways, having fun along the way. He has been with TWIST Creative for almost four years. Thiago studied at Parsons School of Design and is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts, both located in NYC.
Community West Foundation
We Share the Same Heart
Purpose Driven.
“TWIST has been a valuable partner to us for more than a year now. They were instrumental in helping us reach our goals of building brand awareness through our website redesign and advertising campaign. Charlene and her team are dependable, creative and experts in their field offering guidance based on market trends and research data. Being a Cleveland-based company, TWIST understands the landscape that is unique to our community which offers important insight when making decisions. We highly recommend TWIST as a partner for branding and advertising needs.”
– MARTY UHLE, COMMUNITY WEST FOUNDATION
MARTY UHLE, COMMUNITY WEST FOUNDATION
We Share the Same Heart.
Telling the story of the brand and making “dignity” the core differentiator.
Inspired by Matthew 25:35-40 the Community West Foundation lives its purpose of illuminating hope by delivering dignity, opportunity and well-being to the people of Western Cleveland.
Purpose driven, people driven and spirit filled.
Community West is a foundation focused on delivering dignity by providing for basic needs. Where some see an empty lot, they see a house. Where some get cold feet, they accomplish unbelievable feats: warming feet with socks, filling pantries with food, giving businesses resources without restrictions, and creating opportunities to change the way we see each other.
Known for the excellence of their experts and nearly four decades of important community impact — the donors, nonprofit partners and advisors at Community West Foundation all share the same heart, work with the same mind, intention and commitment; not stopping until every basic need has been met and dignity has been returned to the most destitute among us.
Scope of Services
• Identity Refresh
• Brand Strategy
• Advertising Campaigns
• Website Design
• Collateral
• Social Ads
• Digital Ads
• Video & Photography Direction
• Text-to-Give
Color Palette
Tagline
82K
Measurable Results
Over 90% increase in website traffic year over year
Increased awareness among the brand within the Northeast Ohio community
Increase in donor advised giving and Socks+ giving
Socks+ Campaign
Socks+ is an initiative of Community West Foundation, which brings together the community in order to provide one of the most basic needs to the unhoused - socks. In addition to socks, the organization raises funds and collects other basic needs items to support local organizations.
Measurable Results
45% increase in year-over-year financial donations
Overall brand awareness increased
Physical donations increased and are still growing
Trade Dress
GOBDF
“From strategy to execution, TWIST helped us uncover and express the heart of who we are. They didn’t just rebrand our organization— they reenergized our mission. The new name, messaging, and design not only reflect our values, but also brought our community together during a critical moment of growth.”
TANYA STEWART, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Reintroducing a Community Organization to Unite and Inspire 54 Counties
Following a chapter merger that expanded its reach to 54 counties, Greater Ohio Bleeding Disorders Foundation (formerly the Northern Ohio Hemophilia Foundation) needed a complete transformation, including a new name, identity, messaging, and digital presence. Furthermore, the organization was tasked with ensuring consistency of service and community across its new, broader geography while retaining the deep trust it had built with patients, families, donors, and healthcare partners.
TWIST lead the rename, rebrand, and relaunch—from research and strategy to creative execution—ensuring the new identity reflected the lived experiences of the bleeding disorders community and positioned the organization for long-term impact and growth.
The Family Behind My Family
TWIST created a unified brand platform and digital presence that increases awareness, builds trust with new and existing stakeholders, and drives deeper engagement from donors and community partners following the chapter merger.
Scope of Services
• Collateral
• Identity
• Logo
• Messaging
• Strategy
• Web Design
Primary Logo
Typography
Color Palette
BLACK WHITE CHERISH
SUNBEAM GOLDEN ZEST COOL
GOBDF.ORG
Measurable Results
100% acceptance of new name and identity among the communities
More than 50% increase in social media engagement year over year
Over 20% increase in event and program attendance
Fund for our Economic Future
Meet the Everyone Economists
“When you partner with TWIST, you get high-caliber work that breaks through the noise—and, ultimately, is effective. Their branding, design and concept creation are top-notch. TWIST stands by its work and doesn’t compromise its standards or bold vision. At the same time, the team is beyond professional and responsive. We’re happy to have found a great design and thought partner who helps push us in the most rewarding ways and elevate our work.”
SARA MCCARTHY, VICE PRESIDENT, FUND FOR OUR ECONOMIC FUTURE
Turning Economic Complexity into Urgency and Cross-Sector Action
Fund for Our Economic Future works to make Northeast Ohio’s economy more equitable, sustainable, and resilient. With a growing awareness that the region faced a critical crossroads, The Fund sought to better communicate the economic implications of inaction—and galvanize both public and private leaders around collaborative solutions.
TWIST partnered with Fund for Our Economic Future to develop a bold and cohesive communications platform—one that could bring clarity to complex data, urgency to economic challenges, and vision to possible futures. What started as a branding engagement evolved into a multi-year partnership, encompassing strategy, naming, reports, campaigns, and digital engagement
No True Prosperity Without Equity
TWIST develop a cross-sector brand strategy to drive engagement, education, and support for systemic economic change through increasing visibility and using a clear call-to-action for the region’s leaders.
Scope of Services
• Campaigns
• Collateral
• Logo
• Marketing
• Media Plan
• Messaging
• Strategy
• Web Design
Logo
Primary
Color Palette
Data Palette
PRIMARY BLUE WHITE
LIGHT BLUE
Measurable Results
25% increase in brand awareness among Northeast Ohio
40% increase in engagement across social channels
20% increase in email open rates and engagement
How We Work.
Proposed Timelines and Deliverables
The proposed deliverables for this phase of work includes: Discovery & Brand Perception Survey, a Website Audit & Planning Phase, Website Strategy, Website Design, and finally Website Development and Training.
TWIST will begin work in Discovery, meeting with key leadership team members, as well as any additional committee or board members. The session will outline the goals and objectives of the website, as well as the brand’s platform. The Brand Perception Survey will be a 5 minute (or less) survey that will be sent out to all staff, board members, and key stakeholders. The Survey will capture the current perception of the Licking County Foundation, as well as information desired on the new site.
The website will be designed and developed in three phases:
1. Audit and Strategy
2. Design
3. Development & Launch.
Phase 1: Audit & Strategy
During this phase of work, TWIST will utilize the findings from Discovery and the Brand Perception Study to determine the website’s customer journey, necessary content to include on the site, and any recommendations for site integrations. TWIST will also review the current site to understand the most visited pages, as well as any integrations with email marketing or board member logins. The strategy will include an outline of the actions individuals may take on the site and the calls to action for each.
During this phase of work, TWIST will present a site map and wireframe which will highlight the site’s navigation, content structure, and photo / video placements.
Phase 2: Design
Upon approval of the strategy, including the site map and wireframe, TWIST will utilize the current Licking County Foundation brand guidelines to design the website. Following the design guidelines, TWIST will make recommendations for the design based on the navigation and functionality. TWIST will provide three pages for review: home page and 2 interior pages. The design will include recommendations for photography and video, as well as color usage and type treatments.
Phase 3: Development & Launch
Once the site design is approved, TWIST will partner with Licking County Foundation to capture all content (including headlines, subheadlines, and technical copy). TWIST will write all headlines and subheadlines, as well as calls to action with Licking County Foundation providing all technical copy. If photography or video is required, TWIST and Licking County Foundation will determine a plan for execution.
The site will be built in Wordpress and TWIST will make recommendations for key integrations into the site. As the site is developed, all content will be finalized and uploaded. TWIST will also provide QA during this phase including testing all browsers.
The site training will be recorded so the team can have ongoing access for any site updates that need to be updated or refreshed on an ongoing basis. Prior to launch, Licking County Foundation will do a final full review of the site. The site will be launched on a Tuesday or Wednesday to ensure any support is available during the transition.
TIMELINE:
January Discovery & Brand Perception Survey
February
March
April
May
June
July 1
Website Audit and Planning
Website Strategy Presentation
Website Design Presentation
Website Development
Training, Quality Assurance
Launch of Website
Approach to Project Management and Client Communication
No Suprises.
That’s TWIST’s approach to account services and project management.
TWIST’s account services team led by Andrea Buskirk, Account Director, provides weekly status calls and detailed timelines on an ongoing basis. At the start of the project, a detailed timeline with deadlines, meetings, and revisions will be presented that outlines each stage of work, the team responsible, and any key dates to be aware of (for instance annual meetings, key board meetings, etc.)
The status reports provide all necessary updates weekly and a bi-weekly status call is recommended to ensure the project continues to move along on the desired timeline. Any updates or revisions that need to be made can be discussed, as well as feedback, during the bi-weekly status calls.
In addition, invoices will be sent via Stefanie D’Angelo, VP of Operations, at key points during the project (50% up front, 25% at the strategy presentation, and 25% prior to website launch).
Budget Estimate and References
BUDGET:
Website Discovery
Brand Perception Survey
Website Design & Development
Website Maintenance (per year)
Photo & Video
$5,000
$5,000
$15,000
$2,500
$20,000 - $30,000 (depending on current assets)
REFERENCES:
Marty Uhle, martin.uhle@cwfc.org
President and CEO, Community West Foundation
Tanya Stewart, tanya@gobdf.org
Executive Director, GOBDF - Greater Ohio Bleeding Disorders Foundation
Chris Steinmann, csteinmann@clhsa.org
Superintendant and CEO, Cleveland Lutheran High School Association
The Strategy Presentation put together for Lutheran West by TWIST Creative was hands-down the best marketing presentation I have ever been presented with. The TWIST team’s combination of market research and analysis of our current position led to branding strategies that not only hit on who we are — they really got to the depth of who we want to be in the future and how we want the community to see us. As I read the words and ideas from TWIST, I felt like we were finally working with a company who truly understood our school. I have seen presentations from dozens of marketing firms over the years and none of them compare with the work that TWIST has done on our behalf.
Chris Steinmann Superintendent and CEO Cleveland Lutheran High School Association
