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 village where the football club was a centre of community life. On match Sundays, young and old gathered at the pitch, well beyond the team itself. When I saw the opportunity to create a place like that in Berlin, I jokingly called it exporting Marienfeld to Berlin.
The club is an old idea that still feels remarkably modern to me. Its value lies in what people do together, rather than financial gain. Everyone chooses how much they want to contribute. Doing something for others lets people show who they are and meet people they might otherwise never have known.
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.