In an interview with Armeda founder Kadir Biçer, topics such as Armeda’s project development processes, architectural stance, expansion abroad, and ongoing projects in the gastronomy sector were discussed.
– What inspired you to establish your company, and how has your vision evolved over time?
- My overseas travels were a source of inspiration for me. I received my initial professional inspiration during a trip to Italy. I was very impressed by the general preservation of cities and buildings, the use and perpetuation of Italian aesthetics from villages to cities. Their way of positioning and presenting their own culture and aesthetics was also extraordinary for me. Moreover, there was an above-average design consciousness and quality in all spaces and furniture. After that, I questioned why we couldn’t do better.
Between 1998 and 2000, at Hmy/Teknogon company where I served as a director, I learned to work with a team and build teams. The company’s partnership with the French Hmy company broadened my horizons. My examinations at the headquarters of HMY firm showed me how design and project planning systems and discipline should be carried out and how this should be synchronised with manufacturing, and the importance of equipment and technology.
Afterwards, the design firms I encountered at international fairs guided me on where we should start. At that time, generally all professional designs were coming from abroad, and they were the ones that attracted attention and were considered valid.
Thinking about why we couldn’t do it, I focused my attention on such an organisation.
My trips to England taught me how the traditional concept of royalty, the spirit of the empire, is still kept alive, its motivation for its own citizens, its glorification as a culture against foreigners, and how its external promotion and marketing are done.
Thanks to this, at the foundation of Armeda, I decided that the culture and riches belonging to our geography should also be used beyond the modern line.
– How would you define your company’s core identity?
- Design is at the centre of our company. Everything develops within this framework. And there is a mechanism for realising the resulting design. Our vision is to do better in a versatile way and to generate added value for our nation. Our company continuously develops its team with regular training and workshops. In this way, each new project is more impressive and innovative than the last.
– What sets your company apart from other interior architecture firms in the market?
- We are not a customer-oriented firm. We are end-user oriented. I think this should be the fundamental difference. Since we are concentrated in the gastronomy sector and social spaces, end-user-focused work determines the success of the projects.
Besides this, our other important difference is our understanding of corporate identity. Interior architecture firms usually come to the forefront with individual names. Armeda aimed for corporate identity from its establishment. Our understanding is that the firm’s line should come to the forefront instead of names. We have always preferred names to come second. After all, there is teamwork in our design and production approach; no matter how much individuals contribute, we do not find it right for their names to come to the forefront.
– Can you explain your company’s design philosophy and how “design thinking” influences your projects?
- Armeda has a purpose. We want the spaces we design and bring to life to be successful and sustainable. This purpose has directed us towards a more professional business model. The secret of the business lies in the end-user-focused design I mentioned above.
We primarily act by considering the customer (end-user) who “buys, uses, receives service, spends time” in the space. When you satisfy the customer (end-user), you also satisfy the client (employer).
To achieve this, it is necessary to know the end-user well, analyse the region where the venue will open thoroughly, and comprehensively lay out the service standards that the business will offer. The way to do this is through “brand positioning.”
For nearly four years, we have been starting with brand positioning before beginning work and design. The target customer potential, the physical location of the venue, the demographic structure, scientific/sectoral research, and especially the empathy and evaluations we conduct on the basis of the end-user provide the answer to the question “what kind of venue should it be” at the very beginning of the work.
In our designs, we prefer to use themes appropriate to the brand and try to highlight styles that are also appropriate to the theme. Without disregarding the essence and foundation of our geography, we act with a modern understanding without excluding the traditional.
This means we are stepping outside the usual.
– How do history, art history, and culture influence your design approach?
- We are at peace with our history. For us, there is no such thing as old. We see no harm in using a thousand-year-old pattern or an object, a shape. The East is an indispensable source of inspiration for us. Drawing from our own culture and keeping it alive is an incredible feeling for us.
We also enjoy moving forward with the logic of “if they had continued, how would interrupted design forms be modernised today” through retrospective inquiries.
– What are the most important values for your company, and how are they reflected in your work?
- Honesty and transparency are indispensable. They are reflected in all our relationships and communication…
– Who is your primary target audience, and how do you tailor your designs to meet their needs?
- Our target audience is operators and investors in the gastronomy sector abroad. These include both locals and foreigners. We are mostly in Germany, frequently doing restaurants.
We have a very valuable partner abroad, in Germany. Commercially and in terms of our ability to move abroad, they have taken us to very high levels. Our partnership also brings a serious advantage in understanding our target audience.
Domestically, we selectively take on projects aimed at generating value. We try to produce projects that meet the needs of the target audience both domestically and internationally.
– How do you define and understand your clients’ preferences in the gastronomy sector?
- First of all, I can say that we listen to the client well. That’s why we understand their expectations and goals well. We spend time together, try to get to know them, and proceed with questions. Afterwards, our end-user research for the business model and our work for the brand concept begin.
– What strategies do you use to attract and retain customers in a competitive market?
- The client (employer) comes to us because they trust and know us. The customers (end-users) come because the resulting venue appeals to them. We use social media resources to promote ourselves. We also publish bulletins and articles about our work.
– How do you ensure that your designs are both functional and aesthetically pleasing for your clients?
- The way to achieve this is primarily to be able to empathise. Most of the time, we generate scenarios based on defined customer identities. For example, for a kebab shop to be located in Sultanahmet, we started with different scenarios by naming different tourist profiles from the point of making their travel decision until they leave the venue. We generally repeat this in all our projects. We try to analyse the needs, expectations, feelings, lifestyles, psychological and socio-economic orientations of the target audience by researching them.
Before the customer, we enter and exit a venue we design many times in our minds and in our three-dimensional models. During the working process, we establish a team specialised in different disciplines. This team includes the operator, brand expert, graphic designer, and interior architect designers.
The brand is handled in three dimensions: Venue concept, Product (food, beverage) concept, service concept. It is presented as a holistic “brand image” study.
– Can you share any success stories or feedback from customers that highlight your ability to meet their needs?
- We generally look at the comments about the venue. And of course, being preferred is important. In physical observation, we look at the facial expressions of the customers using the venue. The real success story is observing the happiness on their faces. The healthy continuation and survival of the business is related to the stable sustainability of the three-dimensional brand concept (venue, product, service) I mentioned, without distorting its line but with the ability to be flexible.
– What is your long-term vision for the company, both in Turkey and internationally?
- Our goal is big. We have the goal of becoming an international design studio and also an industry and application firm that houses different productions within itself. We will try to achieve this in the coming days by opening our company to the outside world with our stakeholders and investors.
– What motivated you specifically to expand in the German market?
- The idea of doing business abroad germinated during my business trips to Italy, France, and Spain before Germany. When I saw and experienced the pitiful state of Turkish restaurants at that time, I thought, “Someone urgently needs to address this.” We definitely had to be on this mission. Our first entry into the German market began when a colleague practising their profession abroad asked for design support. We carried out dozens of venue projects without expecting anything in return. Afterwards, the desire arose to experience and advance this as Armeda.
We contacted Mr. Mustafa, who lives in Germany and is also an old friend. Our partner is a successful Turkish businessman who has been involved in sales and application in the gastronomy sector for thirty years. When he first saw our designs, he said, “These are very successful; we pay very serious fees and wait a long time in Germany to have similar designs made.” We complemented each other by providing design and project support. We stepped into the market together.
– What goals do you hope to achieve in Germany in the coming years?
- Germany is a big market. Our primary goal is to continue to create high-quality Turkish restaurants. Our second goal is to expand our German and foreign customer market, which is currently small. We also want to carry out projects in England and America.
– How do you plan to adapt your designs to suit the preferences and regulations of the German market?
- We have progressed in the market with our innovative and concept-focused structure. The sine qua non of the market is robustness and quality. Achieving this took quite a bit of time and capital. We are about to complete our sixth year. We still owe our progress to our partner’s experience and knowledge.
From now on, we will hopefully move forward with the harmony and synergy we have achieved.
– What challenges do you anticipate in this expansion, and how do you plan to overcome them?
- We have progressed with very different and diverse projects. Now we want to progress with more substantial projects. As the potential increases, we are struggling with delivery times. To overcome this, we want to have control over all processes by carrying out the manufacturing of furniture and service parts within our own structure.
– How do you envision your ability to adapt to sustainability and innovations in your future projects?
- Armeda is like a school. Young colleagues quickly become competent parts of the system here in a short time. We have in-house training activities to take this further and support it. We provide more design-oriented training. In addition, we have a personal development programme. We attach importance to research, material knowledge, and production methods. We do designs as a team. Each of our projects has an interior architect director. They manage and follow the manufacturing and application with coordinator support.
Careful follow-up from start to finish yields positive results. We believe that this way of doing business, which we progress by developing and being flexible, will successfully carry us into the future.
– What new trends or technologies in interior architecture do you find significant, and how do you plan to incorporate them into your work/designs?
- Infrastructure is very important in our profession. We include newly graduated colleagues who have internalised certain programmes and infrastructure in our team. In this way, they work by internalising our corporate culture. Cultural and social competence is important in the design process. We encourage research, learning, and experiencing, and support this with in-house training.
– How would you describe the culture within your company?
- We need to be good people, establish good relationships, and have kindness and elegance. We strive not to compromise on this, no matter the circumstances. And of course, our feet must be on this homeland, and we must rise here. This also means we respect our own culture. We are sensitive to the environment and the protection of everything natural. We try to use resources efficiently as much as possible and avoid waste and unnecessary consumption.
– What qualities do you look for when hiring new team members?
- We look for merit, not experience. They should come having learned the basic programmes necessary for our profession in educational institutions. They should have the ability to think in three dimensions and spatial intelligence. They should be suitable for teamwork and ready to work at a fast pace. They learn the remaining professional qualities by experiencing them within the company culture.
– How do you ensure that your team remains aligned with the company’s vision and values?
- In our company culture, we have a structural style and method from customer relations to supplier and manufacturer communication. They see and experience what is happening transparently. We also have an open structure for sharing, and the transfer of knowledge and experience. In general, I can say that our colleagues can adapt to this structure and are successful in terms of representation.
– What kind of professional development opportunities do you offer your employees?
- We encourage research and continuous learning. We support them in pursuing master’s degrees and learning or improving foreign languages. The training we provide contributes to their successful execution of their profession.
– How do you foster creativity and innovation within your team?
- Our team members are currently sensitive to which styles, colours, forms, and understandings are valid. The secret to this lies in teamwork as well as personal research. In every project, even though one of our colleagues is in charge from start to finish, we can act jointly in the design, modelling, and project planning phases. This means that everyone in the team can be aware of what one person knows and has seen. Creative thinking emerges as a result of design-oriented action. We have made design systematic.
In the process, it is clear from the beginning what will be done step by step and which methods and procedures will be followed. This system encourages and motivates our team. We also have a productive structure. Even if the business potential starts to decline, we continue to generate projects for ourselves.
– Can you describe your process for initiating a new project with a client?
- The client generally comes to us to renovate their existing venue or to establish a new one. In recent years, we are also preferred for branding. We prepare a meticulous proposal. This includes the content, duration, and fee of the work to be done in detail. Once approved, the brand positioning and design process begins.
We prepare a comprehensive report. This report includes definitions and details about the brand’s identity. The infrastructure for the promotional work to be done during the branding process is also included in this report. Afterwards, the design is prepared, and three-dimensional presentations are made.
The venue is explained with three-dimensional perspectives and sometimes video support. Subsequently, project planning and implementation begin. Sometimes we only provide positioning and concept services.
We write and explain the algorithm of the service dimension of the work and provide guidance. We also have experienced, professional, and educated solution partners we work with who can take over the business management during the brand promotion process and bring it to a certain level.
– How do you ensure clear communication and collaboration with your clients throughout a project?
- For medium and large-scale businesses or chain projects, we prefer to work with a coordinator or operator. In this way, two professional teams do not experience communication problems. We progress with meetings we hold at certain intervals with the employer or their representative in the office and on-site.
– What was one of your most challenging projects, and how did your team overcome the difficulties?
- For us, it’s not the difficulty of the project but the difficulty of the client (employer) that matters. If the employer is conscious and professional, the project becomes easier. Or, if they are not professional or conscious, the project succeeds if they trust our teamwork and act accordingly.
We have a business model that has become systematic over the years, where project, implementation, accounting, purchasing, etc., units work in harmony. When there is a professional structure on the client’s side that also has its counterpart, the work becomes easier. Working with incompetent employees on the client’s side, personnel who try to use authority beyond their position, and most importantly, managers who don’t know the job but act like they do, is beyond difficult, almost impossible.
– How do you measure the success of a project after its completion?
- The healthy overcoming of the establishment process for the business, commercial satisfaction, and end-user satisfaction.
– What kind of feedback mechanisms do you have in place to learn from each project and improve your services?
- Feedback comes directly from the employer and the comments of end-users. In addition, brand positioning is a process. Following up on the concept after it has been brought to life is a process. Since our follow-up and support continue in the projects we have carried out, we as a team have the opportunity to experience and observe the venue. This creates a very productive opportunity for interpretation and evaluation for us.
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