A £2bn, Legal & General-backed startup determined to change the way we live in our later years.

Our brief was to create a brand that revolutionises later living, changes the way we think about growing older, and announces Guild’s bold intentions on a global scale. And, in their words, to “Make us look like nothing the sector has ever seen.” 

The challenge

By creating beautiful homes, inspiring communities, and tailored wellbeing programmes, Guild Living are elevating the way we grow older.

Our job was to package Guild as a provider of revolutionary retirement living and as a disruptive voice that changes the way we think about older people. Building brand awareness wouldn’t just support their sales teams; it would help convince local councils that Guild Living are a positive force for their towns and residents.

That means our audiences were diverse — from older people and their families to government officials, both in this country and abroad.

Strategy first

We needed to understand Guild’s business, its aims, and the people behind it, so we started by workshopping Guild’s ‘why’, ‘how’ and ‘what’.

Defining their why let us put what really drives them at the core of their brand. Defining their how meant we understood what it’d take to achieve their goals. And defining their what meant our messaging would always be clear and targeted.

From this we developed their brand foundation — their essence (who they are in a few words), mission (why they exist), vision (their future goal), brand values (what drives them) and value proposition (the benefit they bring to customers).

Guild The Hero

To position and differentiate Guild Living, we gave them a brand archetype. This is a way of presenting a brand – its values, behaviours, messaging – as a persona, thus making it more recognisable and relatable. 

We positioned Guild as The Hero: a brand determined to right the wrongs of current later-living provision and forge a new, better way of doing things. Heroes exist to right wrongs. They’re bold, brave, passionate, caring - so that’s what Guild’s brand had to be, too.

Old is bold

In bringing Guild to life, our motto was “Be bold, be different, be real."

We had to create a brand that was as unique and empowering as they are yet that spoke to the everyday realities of their target audience..

Through disruptive design, copy, typography and photography, we gave them an identity that looks like no other later-living brand and that’s been used on their website, hoardings, social media, brochures, email campaigns and internal documents.

The result

With meticulous strategic thinking, arresting design and cut-through messaging, we’ve positioned Guild as the brave new voice in the later-living market. We’ve made them look, sound and behave like no one else. We’ve given them a platform to launch a series of beautiful property developments. And we’ve armed them with a rallying call to change how we all think about getting older.