Portland Design

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.

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

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

• Place branding design
• Retail experience design
• Airport commercial design
• Wayfinding signage systems
• Master planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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

Core 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

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered parent company, key strategic partner, core project partner and project partner.

• Perkins & Willparent companyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortland 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 partnerStrategic or Co-development 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 partnerStrategic or Co-development 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 partnerStrategic or Co-development 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 partnerStrategic or Co-development 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 partnerStrategic or Co-development 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 partnerStrategic or Co-development 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 partnerStrategic or Co-development 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/PortlandDesign
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PortlandDesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/380133

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Portland Design