Optima Living
Growing a family of brands
Red Rocket Creative has had the pleasure of providing brand strategy and creative services for Optima Living (owner and operator of senior living communities) while they’ve grown their portfolio of 6 properties to over 40 – and counting.
This rapid expansion comes alongside the demographic shift of Baby Boomers entering their silver years. This shift has created unprecedented demand for diverse housing options, yet this generation is fundamentally different from its predecessors; it is the “forever young” cohort that views aging as a new chapter of vitality rather than a slow retreat. They are wary of institutional branding and resistant to anything that feels like a loss of autonomy or individuality. Instead, they demand a lifestyle-first approach—sophisticated branding that mirrors the hospitality industry, emphasizing wellness, urban connectivity, and bespoke experiences. To reach them, operators must pivot from selling a “place to grow old” to selling a “place to live well and thrive.”
This was the thinking that informed our brand strategy for Optima Living’s expansion.
Industry
Scope of Work
Bespoke identities for unique communities
While many senior living providers are still applying a “cookie-cutter” identity of the operators’ name and logo to every location, we recognized an opportunity to differentiate the Optima offering with a more fitting approach. A residence in a quiet farming town feels fundamentally different from one in a bustling urban center. To honour the local culture of each community, while maintaining the trust in the Optima Living brand, we advocated a “House of Brands“ strategy. This is a brand architecture in which a parent company owns a portfolio of distinct brands, each with its own unique identity, audience, and marketing, while the parent brand remains separate.
Our goal was to ensure that while every building and brand identity looked unique, the underlying promise of quality of service remained consistent. This journey began with the foundational work on Aster Gardens, where we first established the blueprint for bespoke property branding, a process we further refined during the Wisteria Place project.
Meaningful names with local roots
For many of its properties, Red Rocket has had to imagine new names as well as identities. Our naming process is built on discovery rather than assumption. We conduct deep-dive research and stakeholder interviews to understand the local geography, history, and values. When we propose names to the Optima Living team, we don’t just provide a list; we provide a narrative. Each option includes a meaningful description of how the name connects to the spirit of that specific place. This depth allows stakeholders to select an identity that resonates personally with the people who will eventually call it home.
Sewing a subtle visual thread
While every logo is a bespoke creation—ranging from the classic elegance of The Kensington to the modern lines of MacTaggart Place—there is a deliberate “connective tissue” that unites the portfolio. Each identity is anchored with the “by Optima Living” endorsement, providing a seal of organizational reassurance. To further unify the experience, we utilize a consistent font style for all body copy and a specific photographic direction across the entire brand family. The imagery we use for every community focuses on real people in authentic moments of connection.
We ensure that the values of the parent brand always shine through in the property branding.
Continually expanding the family of brands
By leaning into the uniqueness of each location, we have helped Optima Living integrate seamlessly into diverse neighbourhoods across Alberta and British Columbia. Today, their portfolio represents a vibrant family of brands, each with its own soul. We continue to partner with Optima Living as they grow, ensuring that as each new property is revealed, it carries an identity that is relevant and true to the people living in that community.