Explore by GemLife
Where great stories begin
GemLife is one of Australia’s leading over-50s lifestyle resort developers, known for resorts that embrace the spirit of adventure. Residents can bring their motorhomes, campervans, or caravans, but increasingly, these vehicles were sitting idle, taking up valuable space that could be more effectively used for new residences. The business needed a solution that honoured the brand promise while solving a real operational challenge.
The answer was a fleet of premium ‘timeshare’ motorhomes that residents could hire for up to three weeks at a time. Vehicles that would always be on the road, self-funding, and freeing up space back at the resort. But we saw an opportunity beyond logistics.
The insight
The over-50s audience don't see themselves the way the market often portrays them. They're not winding down, they're young at heart, rich in time, and eager to explore. Plain white motorhomes weren't going to cut it.
The creative
We commissioned illustrator Owen Gatley to create panoramic scenes of Australia's most iconic landscapes, from the Daintree Rainforest to Nitmiluk National Park. Each vehicle became a moving work of art, impossible to ignore, impossible to forget.
The recognition
Explore by GemLife is among the most recognised pieces of work in Theola's portfolio. At the 2022 Transform Awards ANZ — the international benchmark for brand development — the project took home three awards including two Golds for Best Development of a New Brand Within an Existing Brand Portfolio and Best Visual Identity from the Property Construction and Facilities Management Sector. The AGDA Design Awards recognised the illustration work with a Merit, and the Australian Design Awards (Better Future) added a Silver in 2023.
What began as a space-saving, capital-saving initiative has become so much more. Theola took the initiative to turn these top-of-the-line 'Explorers' into an invitation for GemLife residents to indulge their spirit of adventure. We're thrilled.
— Adrian Puljich, CEO at GemLife