abt.collective
Nike Hangtime brand environment — an immersive retail space designed as a brand experience

brand & design strategy

bridging business and brand experience through strategic design

I work with companies under transformation pressure, where brand, customer journey and delivery have to hold together while everything else changes. Chief Design Officer at citizenM through 70% portfolio growth to 39 properties, and through the brand's acquisition by Marriott.

the framework

design impact on the business

Every project is measured through three considerations. Design should answer all three at once: desirability, return, and the ability to scale.

01

brand experience

aspirational product
a differentiated, desirable product
customer satisfaction
frequency and customer loyalty
emotional response
experience people remember
02

return per sqm

spatial efficiency
maximise and manage use of space
reduce operational cost
optimise the operational model
economies of scale
value that scales across portfolios
03

scalability & speed

time to market
accelerate development, manage scope
faster delivery
compress procurement and construction
standardised growth
repeatable products that scale
citizenM Chicago — hotel lobby designed as a brand environment

spatial experiences

architecture, space and experience are an expression of the brand and customer promise.
Nike running lab — product and brand experience installation

brand experience

distinct branded design drives customer retention and product longevity

Brand experiences that drive customer loyalty.

  1. 01
    define brand identity
    establish core values and a clear target audience
  2. 02
    emotional bond through experience
    create meaning for the customer
  3. 03
    create lasting design
    build beyond trends for longevity

brand experience

extending the experience beyond the core

Every space should elevate the brand experience and return.

  1. 01
    spaces with a return
    meeting rooms, wellness, food & beverage
  2. 02
    revenue and satisfaction
    an uplift in revenue and guest experience
  3. 03
    a membership model
    amenities that extend the brand beyond the stay
citizenM rooftop bar — revenue-generating amenity space
Nike Chelsea store — retail brand environment

brand environments

the strongest spaces speak to the brand and the customer.

return per sqm

efficient space planning maximises return per square meter

Creativity and a quality experience resonate with customers.

  1. 01
    maximise inventory
    efficient planning increases revenue generating space
  2. 02
    balance front & back of house
    operational and public space in proportion
  3. 03
    connected & preventive
    live data reduces maintenance cost and downtime
citizenM Dublin room — an efficient, standardised room footprint

scalability & speed

a standardised product: scaling without losing soul

Strategic standardisation through modular and component-based construction minimises both cost and delivery time. Figures below are from the citizenM modular programme.

connected spaces

one journey connecting the digital and physical space

Connected spaces drive value for the customer and the operator.

  1. 01
    frictionless arrival
    check-in, unlock and pay from a phone, no queue, no friction.
  2. 02
    one continuous journey
    digital, physical space and teams share one context.
  3. 03
    control in hand
    lighting, climate, media and service: all one tap away.
citizenM lobby self check-in — digital and physical journey connected

for the operator

  1. 01

    measure

    live data tracks operations, occupancy and energy across portfolios.

  2. 02

    act

    act before customer dissatisfaction.

  3. 03

    maintain

    preventive management protecting cost and experience.

selected work

design that translates the brand into an experience

case study — healthcare

a private healthcare group, sharpened rather than reinvented

Clinical close-up overlaid with diagnostic measurement geometry — precision as a brand expression in private healthcare

the situation

A private European clinic group, backed by private equity, with a strong clinical reputation and a brand that had not kept pace with it. Growth by acquisition had left inconsistent expression across sites, and the investment case depended on a coherent patient experience the group could scale.

the problem

The clinical quality was not in question. What the brand promised, and what a patient experienced across sites, had come apart.

what we did

  • Built a north star positioning the whole group could act on, structured so every decision traced back to a single question about clinical standard.
  • Turned it into an institutional marketing system — a budget model weighted to earned reputation over paid media, matching how patients actually choose a specialist.
  • Set five lagging KPIs so the board could see brand as a measured line rather than a cost.
  • Mapped the partner ecosystem across technology, brand, UX and interiors, so delivery had an owner at every layer.

what changed

The group now opens and integrates sites against a single standard, rather than renegotiating brand and experience decisions each time.

where to start

the experience audit

Two weeks. Fixed fee. One deliverable.

An assessment of how brand, customer experience and delivery are working as one system — and where the value is leaking between them.

  1. week one Interviews with leadership, a review of brand and customer journey as they currently stand, and a walk of one or more sites.
  2. week two Synthesis into a prioritised view: what is costing you now, what is blocking scale, and what to fix in what order.

the result

A single document your board can act on, and a two-hour session to work through it. Whether we work together afterwards is a separate decision.

Start a conversation
info@abt-collective.com

the practice

studio focus

Integrating brand identities, customer journeys and spatial environments through strategic design.

Claudia Abt, founder of abt.collective and former Chief Design Officer at citizenM
claudia abt, founder

what we do

  • brand experience
  • design strategy, creation and scaling
  • customer journey
  • real estate scaling
  • modular construction and delivery

background

Architect by training, brand and design leader by practice. Most recently Chief Design Officer at citizenM, leading the global design and technical services team through 70% portfolio growth to 39 properties, creating the global brand standards, and sitting on the leadership team through the brand's acquisition by Marriott International.

Before that, twelve years at Nike, latterly as Retail Design & Development Director for European Operations. I started as an architect at gmp in Hamburg — which is why brand work here never stops at the identity, but runs through to how the thing gets built, at what cost, and how fast.

Based in Amsterdam, working in English and German.