Better Living
Better Living was a brand-led sustainability initiative developed to help Mattamy Homes communicate its environmental commitment in a way that felt practical, emotional, and real. The goal was to reframe sustainability from a technical feature set into a lifestyle promise rooted in comfort, clarity, and everyday value. I led the visual direction and creative development, building a flexible communications toolkit that could scale across markets while staying consistent with the brand’s evolving tone.
Client: Mattamy Homes
Agency: The Turnlab
Role: Senior Art Director
Date: February 2025
Agency: The Turnlab
Role: Senior Art Director
Date: February 2025
The opportunity
Mattamy had invested significantly in sustainable design and technology, but its story wasn’t reaching buyers with clarity or impact. Messaging often felt fragmented or overly technical, creating confusion and skepticism. Our challenge was to translate sustainability into human terms, linking it to buyer priorities like cost savings, comfort, and peace of mind, while reinforcing broader values around wellness and environmental responsibility.
What we did
Building the Sustainability Toolkit
I led the creative development of a modular, brand-aligned toolkit in collaboration with a senior graphic designer and copywriting partner. Our goal was to simplify complex product features and language into a system that would feel consistent, credible, and emotionally resonant.
We built a visual and messaging framework that translated sustainable living into clear, relatable themes. The work included a master brand narrative, key benefit statements, iconography, layout systems, and adaptable content modules tailored to local product offerings. I defined a visual direction grounded in clarity and warmth, with photography that avoided clichés and focused on real, human-centered storytelling.
The messaging focused on three core emotional benefits: saving money, improving comfort, and making a meaningful environmental impact. Every visual, message, and layout decision was made to support easier adoption by marketing teams and stronger connection with buyers.
We built a visual and messaging framework that translated sustainable living into clear, relatable themes. The work included a master brand narrative, key benefit statements, iconography, layout systems, and adaptable content modules tailored to local product offerings. I defined a visual direction grounded in clarity and warmth, with photography that avoided clichés and focused on real, human-centered storytelling.
The messaging focused on three core emotional benefits: saving money, improving comfort, and making a meaningful environmental impact. Every visual, message, and layout decision was made to support easier adoption by marketing teams and stronger connection with buyers.
The Outcome
Simplifying Sustainability for the Everyday Buyer
The toolkit gave Mattamy’s internal teams a clear and confident way to communicate sustainability across regions and channels. By presenting it as a benefit for everyday life rather than a technical feature, it helped shift perception and build trust with buyers. Early feedback from internal stakeholders highlighted increased confidence in presenting sustainable offerings, along with strong interest in adapting the toolkit across additional product categories and markets.
The clarity, elegance, and consistency of the work set a new creative benchmark for the brand. It prompted a broader initiative to revisit Mattamy’s overall design system, using the visual and structural foundation we created as a model for future refinement. Better Living became more than a messaging tool. It served as a catalyst for brand-wide evolution.
The clarity, elegance, and consistency of the work set a new creative benchmark for the brand. It prompted a broader initiative to revisit Mattamy’s overall design system, using the visual and structural foundation we created as a model for future refinement. Better Living became more than a messaging tool. It served as a catalyst for brand-wide evolution.
