TENNISFREUNDE · STRATEGIC DESIGN & COMMUNITY
A new way to belong on court.
I co-founded Tennisfreunde Berlin-Mitte with my friend Hakan Karahan. I designed the brand, spaces and member experience around one idea: a place where people come together through tennis and help shape the community themselves.
- CLIENT
- Tennisfreunde Berlin-Mitte Co-founded in 2017
- MY ROLE
- Co-founder · Voluntary engagement Strategic design & visual identity Spaces & member experience
- COLLABORATION
- Hakan Karahan · Co-founder & coaching Daniel Dendra, anOther Architect · Clubhouse design Members & community
CHALLENGE
Five courts. A different kind of club.
Five courts and an ageing clubhouse became our starting point. I mapped the journeys of founders, investors, neighbours, families and children to design a welcoming, nonprofit club.
THE IDEA BEHIND IT
Bringing Marienfeld to Berlin.
I grew up in Marienfeld, a small village near Cologne with around 1,500 people at the time. We lived beside a cow pasture and the football pitch, where young and old gathered on Sundays. I wanted to bring that sense of community to Berlin.
A club’s value lies in what people do for each other. Everyone contributes what they can and meets people they might otherwise never know.
BUILDING THE CLUB
One identity. A whole experience.
I designed the identity and member experience, developing the clubhouse with Daniel Dendra of anOther Architect. Hakan Karahan, my friend and co-founder, brought the coaching expertise that made the club possible.
A shared identity for the club and its members.
A club people can recognise
I developed the logo and the club’s complete visual identity as part of the same thinking that shaped its spaces and everyday experience.
Freunde Open · Tournament logo by Ole Tillmann.
Freunde Open
Our annual club tournament at Tennisfreunde Berlin-Mitte. I designed its own logo as part of the club’s visual identity.
LIFE AT THE CLUB
More than a place to play tennis.
The key moment comes after the match: sharing a meal with the visiting team. Long tables, a shared kitchen, barbecue and generous lounge make the club everyone’s space, without a restaurant.
Club life continues beyond the baseline.
DESIGNING THE MEMBER JOURNEY
Small details. A sense of belonging.
Coaching, a private shower, then coffee on the terrace. Individual changing spaces and a child-height washbasin turn specific needs into architecture. Low-maintenance spaces leave more time for the court.
RESULT
A tennis club. A place to belong.
Today, 130 children belong to the club. Members shape our spring and summer celebrations. The veranda connects clubhouse and courts; a planned hall will extend this community into the winter.
Next project
EVENT CONCEPT & HOSTING
#FASHIONTECH Berlin
I co-initiated and hosted a platform connecting fashion and technology during Berlin Fashion Week.