Branding
Sagora Senior Living “Timeless” Newsletter Series
Sagora Senior Living needed to move beyond typical retirement community newsletters to create communications that reflected their premium positioning and resonated with their sophisticated resident demographic. The existing approach felt institutional rather than aspirational.
I developed “Timeless,” a monthly magazine-style publication that celebrates the richness of senior living through elegant design, compelling photography, and lifestyle-focused content. I fit this into a framework of integrations and a web application to facilitate the delivery at scale.
Click each thumbnail below to view a sample 6-page newsletter. Allow time for images to load.
Creative Process
The Challenge
Sagora Senior Living faced several unique challenges:
- Consistent Branding: Maintaining a unified look and feel across 48 communities while incorporating their brand identity.
- Customization: Providing each community with the ability to include localized content alongside corporate messaging.
- Scalability: Designing and printing multiple versions of newsletters for communities with diverse audiences, some requiring 2-3 versions monthly.
- Timeliness: Ensuring newsletters were designed, printed, and delivered on time every month.
The Solution
I developed a comprehensive, tailored solution using InDesign templates and a custom-built web application to meet Sagora Senior Living’s needs.
I planned and executed direct integrations with our office macOS server and AWS. Order content drops directly into folders available to the design team to begin work immediately.
Branded Design, Built for Production
- I created a cohesive newsletter template that incorporates Sagora’s logo, colors, and branding.
- Templates were built with production in mind, with easily updateable elements for the design team to customize per order.
Custom Content Automation
- I updated the web application so each community could include their local news, event announcements, and custom messaging with each order.
- I integrated corporate content options into a filler library available online, seamlessly ensuring consistent messaging across all locations.
Efficient Production and Delivery
- I oversaw the design, print, and shipment of hundreds of newsletters each month for Sagora’s communities across the U.S.
- I implemented web application updates to reduce the volume of work, all while ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
- Reduced time to complete each order by 50%.
Premium Visual Identity
The design system employs sophisticated file synchronization and web application input along with inventive typography, lifestyle photography, and a refined color palette that varies monthly while maintaining brand consistency.
Each cover feels more like a lifestyle magazine than institutional communications, reflecting the quality experience Sagora provides.
Business Impact
Resident Engagement
The elevated design approach transformed how residents perceived their community communications, with the newsletter becoming something they looked forward to receiving and sharing with family members.
Marketing Tool Development
The publications doubled as premium marketing materials for prospective residents and their families, demonstrating Sagora’s commitment to quality and attention to detail in all aspects of resident experience.
Competitive Differentiation
The magazine-quality approach distinguished Sagora from competitors still using basic newsletter formats, reinforcing their premium market positioning through every touchpoint.
Key Deliverables
- 12 monthly magazine-style newsletters (8+ pages each) for over 30 communities each year
- Cohesive visual identity system adaptable across seasons
- Content frameworks, integrations, and custom web application to manage hundreds of orders
- Photography direction and art direction guidelines
- Print production management and quality control protocols