MetLife and Greystar approached AOR with an idea in one hand and an apartment complex in need of a refresh in the other. Their current property located in Sandy, Utah, just fifteen minutes from downtown Salt Lake City and nestled at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, was in need of a rebrand, one that would create a more appealing foundation to attract residents in a crowded market. We took what was in their hands, put it in ours, and started from scratch.
Two things we knew about this property: it’s located near the beautiful nature of Utah’s mountains, and more importantly, it wanted to encourage connection among its residents. In fact, Greystar and MetLife made it very clear they had no interest in being an apartment complex, but rather, a community.
Greystar knew they wanted to create a space with more common areas and places for people to mingle. We took that vision and asked ourselves what community means for this complex, and ultimately landed on one simple truth: The community at this apartment property thrives on everyone being a good neighbor.
Human relationships, connection, lifting each other up, growth in community — these were the themes we kept in mind as we explored the first and most important part of the re-branding process: the name.
After several rounds of naming, ultimately we landed on The Calo (a shortened version of Calochortus nuttallii, the scientific name for the state flower the Sego Lily). The name speaks to both the nature surrounding the property and the community growth the complex seeks to encourage among its residents.
And from The Calo, and the plant it’s inspired by, the visual branding and messaging platform were born. All flowering from the stem of community Greystar and MetLife wants engrained in every aspect of this property.
MetLife and Greystar were thrilled with the work and excited to build the brand out and see it come to life. When we wrapped our part of the process, Greystar responded:
“Oh no, we can’t be done with AOR yet! Thank you so much, you guys have been great! Please extend our appreciation to the entire team.”
We think it’s safe to say that along with Greystar, we’ve all been good neighbors, lifted each other up, and worked together to bring this brand to life.