Portland Design
Portland Design is a London-based, Perkins&Will-affiliated place-making and brand-experience design consultancy serving airports, shopping centres, mixed-use developers, travel retailers, and corporates across Europe, MENA, North America, and Asia-Pacific through project-based design, branding, and wayfinding engagements.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Portland Design does
Portland Design is a London-headquartered place-making and brand-experience design consultancy, founded in 1987 and operating as part of the global Perkins & Will architecture network, with an additional office in Dubai serving the MENA region. The firm sells project-based professional services spanning place branding, retail and airport experience design, master planning, public realm activation, wayfinding systems, and corporate workplace identity. Its methodology combines research, trend forecasting, demographic analysis, consumer insights, and strategic foresight to inform design execution, with dedicated data, wayfinding, and foresight leadership built into the team structure.
The customer base is overwhelmingly enterprise and government: international airport authorities and operators (Newark Liberty, King Salman International Airport, CPK Poland, Prague, Luton, Aberdeen, Stavanger), shopping-centre owners (Merry Hill, Meadowhall), mixed-use developers (Galataport Istanbul, Sony Center Berlin, Foundry for LGIM Real Assets), travel-retail operators (Lagardère / Aelia, Diageo, Nestlé), and corporates (Royal Bank of Canada, Jashanmal, Get Living). Notable delivery partners include Foster + Partners on KSIA, Munich Airport International on Newark Terminal A, and Oxford Properties on Sony Center Berlin, positioning Portland as the human-centred-design layer within larger architecture-led consortia.
Revenue is generated through negotiated, project-based fees rather than published pricing; the go-to-market is sales-led, relying on competitive pitches and tender wins for high-value infrastructure programmes alongside direct client engagement. The firm maintains thought-leadership presence via the "From the Future with Love" LinkedIn newsletter, conference speaking (ACI Europe, TFWA Asia Pacific), and trade publication coverage, and has earned industry recognition including the Skytrax 5-Star Terminal Rating for Newark Terminal A in 2024 and Frontier Magazine's New Specialty Concept award for Johnnie Walker House in 2016.
Portland Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Portland Design
- Legal name
- Portland Design
- Website
- https://portland-design.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Portland Design is a London-based, Perkins&Will-affiliated place-making and brand-experience design consultancy serving airports, shopping centres, mixed-use developers, travel retailers, and corporates across Europe, MENA, North America, and Asia-Pacific through project-based design, branding, and wayfinding engagements.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Portland Design industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Design Consultancy / Place-making Services
- NAICS
- Other Specialized Design Services (541490), Interior Design Services (54141), Architectural Services (541310)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI), Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)
Keywords
Where Portland Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Portland Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Design Consultancy Services: Professional design services for place-making, brand strategy, wayfinding systems, retail experience design, and master planning. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements with airports, shopping centres, commercial real estate developers, and travel retailers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Portland Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Portland Design is a place-making and brand experience design consultancy that provides strategic branding, retail experience design, wayfinding systems, airport commercial design, and master planning services for major infrastructure projects. The firm delivers project-based consultancy for airports, shopping centres, mixed-use developments, urban revitalisation projects, and corporate headquarters, combining research, data analytics, strategic foresight, and design execution. Headquartered in London with a Dubai office, it operates as part of the global Perkins & Will architecture and design firm.
Product overview
Portland Design is a design and placemaking consultancy (part of Perkins&Will) offering a portfolio of services centred on creating 'places people love.' Their core offerings include place branding, retail experience design, airport design, wayfinding systems, masterplanning, and public realm activation. Rather than a unified software product, their work is delivered as project-based consultancy engagements for clients across airports (Newark Terminal A, Luton Airport Duty Free, King Salman International Airport, CPK Poland, Stavanger Airport, Prague Airport, Auckland Airport), shopping centres (Merry Hill, Meadowhall, Galataport Istanbul, Centre Balexert Geneva), commercial developments (RBC London, Sony Center Berlin, Foundry co-working, Rembrandt Park), urban revitalisation (Elephant & Castle), F&B brands (Johnnie Walker House, Pink Fish, Nestlé travel retail, Diageo), and Olympic legacy projects (Milan Olympic Village). Each engagement combines research, strategy, brand development, and environmental design tailored to specific client objectives.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- From the Future with Love: Portland's LinkedIn newsletter - a future-focused newsletter blending global insights, cultural trends, and human-centred stories.
Products and services
- Place Branding Strategic brand development for places including brand identity, vision, narrative, and visual language to create distinctive destinations for property developers, airport authorities, and urban revitalisation projects.
- Retail Experience Design Design of retail environments including duty-free stores, shopping centres, and department stores with focus on customer experience and commercial outcomes, targeted at travel retailers and shopping centre operators.
- Airport Design Comprehensive airport design services including commercial vision, retail strategy, passenger experience, and wayfinding for international airport authorities, transport hub developers, and travel retail operators.
- Wayfinding Systems Design of signage and navigation systems for complex environments including airports, shopping centres, and commercial buildings, tailored to large-scale built environments.
- Master Planning & Activation Strategy Masterplan and ground level activation strategy for large mixed-use developments, urban revitalisation projects, and waterfront destinations to drive footfall and commercial performance.
- Corporate Workplace Identity & Wayfinding Building identity, wayfinding systems, and workplace experience design for corporate headquarters and large commercial offices, exemplified by the Royal Bank of Canada European HQ at 100 Bishopsgate.
- Co-working & Hybrid Workspace Concept Design Brand vision, identity, and design strategy for hybrid co-working concepts, including development of community experience frameworks and localised design propositions.
Quantifiable outcome
- Won competitive tender for Luton Airport 1,700 sqm duty-free flagship store
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Portland Design
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Portland Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Portland Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered parent company, key strategic partner, core project partner and project partner.
- Perkins & Willparent companyPortland Design is part of Perkins & Will, a global architecture and design firm. This affiliation provides access to global resources, cross-disciplinary expertise, and international project capabilities. Portland operates from their London office while benefiting from Perkins & Will's worldwide network.
- Foster + Partnerskey strategic partnerPortland partnered with Foster + Partners on King Salman International Airport project, providing specialist place consultancy including experience vision, retail strategy, cultural insights, wayfinding design, and advertising planning as part of Saudi Arabia's $8.6 billion aviation transformation.
- Munich Airport Internationalcore project partnerPortland worked with Munich Airport International on Newark Liberty Terminal A commercial vision and development. MAI led the commercial tender process while Portland provided design strategy and execution for the 'Journey of Surprises' concept.
- Lagardère Travel Retailcore project partnerPortland supported Lagardère in winning Prague Airport duty-free concession (beating 2 rival operators) and designed the Auckland Airport ACE robotic collection system. Lagardère operates duty-free concessions across multiple airports where Portland provides design services.
- Ellandicore project partnerPortland won a 10-way competitive pitch to work with Ellandi on brand and vision development for Merry Hill shopping centre, part of a 5-year multi-million pound investment programme.
- LGIM Real Assetscore project partnerPortland created brand vision, identity, and design strategy for Foundry, a hybrid co-working concept developed by LGIM Real Assets. Working with Perkins & Will, they developed co-workspace designs that emphasised localisation and community experience.
- Oxford Propertiescore project partnerPortland worked with Oxford Properties to redefine Sony Center Berlin, an iconic mixed-use landmark in Berlin's Mitte district. Project involved creating new place brand to convey vision for the 113,000 sqm complex.
- BDP Architectsproject partnerPortland worked alongside BDP architects on Meadowhall shopping centre signage and wayfinding project, defining new signage strategy for the 140,000 sqm venue's redevelopment.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Portland Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- FITCH: FITCH is a global retail and brand experience design consultancy (part of WPP) specializing in retail environments, store design, and consumer experience strategy. Directly comparable to Portland's retail experience design and airport/travel retail work, with overlapping clients in travel retail concessions and shopping centres.
- Landor & Fitch: Landor & Fitch is a brand and experience design consultancy formed by combining Landor's brand strategy with FITCH's retail environment expertise. Closely mirrors Portland's integrated brand + place + retail design offering, particularly around airport and travel retail brand experience.
- Benoy: Benoy is an international architecture and design consultancy with strong specialism in retail, leisure, and mixed-use destinations, including shopping centres and airports. Directly comparable to Portland's place-making work for Meadowhall, Merry Hill, and mixed-use urban developments.
- Entro Communications: Entro is a global wayfinding and branded environments consultancy serving airports, transit, healthcare, and corporate clients. Direct overlap with Portland's wayfinding systems practice (Meadowhall, Stavanger, RBC HQ) and its broader place-branding methodology.
- FutureBrand: FutureBrand is a global brand consultancy with deep specialism in place branding, airport, and city/territory brand strategy. Comparable to Portland's place branding work (Sony Center, Merry Hill, Galataport) and to its place-narrative methodology, though lighter on spatial execution.
- WD Partners: WD Partners is a retail design and strategy firm serving retailers, shopping centre owners, and consumer brands with store design and experience work. Comparable to Portland's retail experience design practice, particularly around shopping centre repositioning and customer experience strategy.
Broad incumbents
- Gensler: Gensler is one of the world's largest architecture and design firms with broad capability across aviation, retail, workplace, and mixed-use. A larger, broader incumbent that competes with Portland on major airport and mixed-use commissions but operates a much wider service portfolio than Portland's specialist place-making focus.
- CallisonRTKL (Arcadis): CallisonRTKL, now part of Arcadis, is a global architecture and design practice with deep retail, mixed-use, and aviation experience. A larger incumbent with overlapping airport commercial and retail masterplanning capabilities, but with a far broader geographic and service footprint.
- Chapman Taylor: Chapman Taylor is an international architecture firm specialising in retail, leisure, and entertainment-led destinations including shopping centres and mixed-use schemes. Comparable to Portland on destination retail and masterplanning projects (Meadowhall, Merry Hill-type assets), though more architecture-led than brand/experience-led.
- Populous: Populous is a global architecture and experiential design firm known for sports and entertainment venues, with a growing practice in mixed-use and destination design. Comparable as an experiential architecture firm competing for major destination commissions; broader and much larger than Portland but with related experience-design DNA.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Portland Design social profiles
Digital presencePortland Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Portland Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Portland Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Portland Design M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Portland Design
What does Portland Design do?
Portland Design is a place-making and brand experience design consultancy that provides strategic branding, retail experience design, wayfinding systems, airport commercial design, and master planning services for major infrastructure projects. The firm delivers project-based consultancy for airports, shopping centres, mixed-use developments, urban revitalisation projects, and corporate headquarters, combining research, data analytics, strategic foresight, and design execution. Headquartered in London with a Dubai office, it operates as part of the global Perkins & Will architecture and design firm.
Is Portland Design a public or private company?
Portland Design is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Portland Design founded?
Portland Design was founded in 1987. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Portland Design based?
Portland Design is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Portland Design make money?
One revenue line is on record: design Consultancy Services.
Who are Portland Design's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are FITCH, Landor & Fitch, Benoy, Entro Communications, FutureBrand and WD Partners. Broad incumbents are Gensler, CallisonRTKL (Arcadis), Chapman Taylor and Populous.
Does Portland Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for Portland Design.
What industry is Portland Design in?
Portland Design's product category is Design Consultancy / Place-making Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAL, Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAI, Space Planning & Workplace Design. Its NAICS code is 541490 and its SIC code is 8700.