THE BROWNS EXPERIENCE
A preview center that gets a fanbase excited and willing to invest in a world-class new stadium, despite the team’s recent performance and reputation.
MY ROLE
Creative Director at Elevate
TEAM
Elevate Creative Experience Design & Digital
AoDK, HKS Architecture
CLIENT
Cleveland Browns
[Haslam Sports Group]
SCALE
6,500 SF
YEAR
July 2025 - August 2026
LOCATION
Berea, Ohio
STATUS
Built
I led the project from kickoff through construction. The space opened to the public in August 2026, and will remain open until the new Huntington Bank Field is constructed.
PRESS
The audience included two groups: a new segment of premium fans in the Cleveland market, and the Dawg Pound, the die-hard base. Budget and timeline were tight because the center had to open within the team’s new training complex being constructed as we designed. Overall direction shifted substantially as we worked, in response to the ongoing design and construction.
01
THE CHALLENGES
A brand that doesn't shout
The Browns don’t lean heavily on iconography or color. We used orange lighting to activate a palette built on browns, whites, and neutrals.
No recent glory
Without recent postseason or championship success, the space couldn’t be fueled by nostalgia. It had to focus entirely on hope for what’s coming.
Luxury vs. The Dawg Pound
The die-hard fan inspired the design of both this space and the stadium, but that persona runs counter to the luxury a sales experience is expected to deliver. We had to balance Midwestern hospitality with a luxe feel.
Success meant generating hope and excitement in a market that has hardened itself against disappointment.
02
THE IDEA
Simplicity is an asset. Browns fans are no-frills, and the client knew they’d respond best to optimism, honesty and straightforward branding, not to papering over recent blunders.
The brown and white stripe across the helmets sets the team apart on the field. In the Experience Center, the stripe becomes a three-dimensional spatial experience that can be inhabited, most of all at the Stadium Model. Once we locked in the stripe as a motif that draws guests toward moments of interest, the walkpath unfolded around it. We rallied around one principle: Midwestern minimalism that feels warm and approachable, at a level of luxury Cleveland hadn’t seen before. That meant curating styling, graphics and color so the space could speak for itself.
03
THE EXECUTION
I directed a team of 12 across spatial, industrial and interior design, art direction, graphics, visualization, research, strategy and architectural coordination, leading the project through Discovery, Strategy, Conceptual Design and Documentation. Because the client cared deeply about finishes and lighting, it was an interiors-heavy project. I drew on my architectural background to guide a demanding round of spatial iteration toward a journey that met the client’s dwell-time requirements.
A journey from dark to light
The model and social spaces sit in the most open, naturally lit part of the plan, so the sequence moves from the darkness of the Screening Room to the light of the reveal. We designed portals to open at the crucial moments; Screening Room to Story Corridor to Model is the most important sequence in the space.
The stripe sets the scale
Its geometry dictated the size and movement of the Stadium Model space. It continues on four sides: in the floor, in a digital band rising to the ceiling, in a backlit ceiling element, and in paint and glass at the entry to the Closing Rooms. Wherever guests stand, the stripe is in focus and the stadium model is at the center.
Color-drenched in brown, with variety
To let guests walk into the Browns brand, a series of coordinated brown finishes with different reflectivities and textures let the space be saturated while maintaining visual interest. Immersive digital screens in the Screening Room and at the Stadium Model carry the story, and orange accent lighting in the Story Corridor and Stadium Model space marks key moments in the sales journey.
Column becomes threshold
A column sat directly in the ideal approach to the Stadium Model. Rather than fight it, I suggested mirroring it with a false column on the other side of the podium, creating a grand threshold. We worked with the architect to minimize the steel size, our interiors team proposed a cladding method to make the columns feel intentional, and I designed the ceiling stripe to match their width and align across the space.
04
THE RESULT
Reception
The New York Times described the visit as an emotional funnel that reminds people what the Browns mean to them. The Haslam Sports Group managing partners said the space gives fans a first look at “a stadium built around them, their traditions and their passion for this team.” (clevelandbrowns.com)
What I learned
Many of the usual tricks of experience centers didn’t apply to this client. I leaned on my architecture and interiors expertise to deliver what they ultimately wanted: a clean, modern, premium space for a brand built on simplicity.
STAKEHOLDER INSIGHTS & EMOTIONAL JOURNEY MAP
JOURNEY MAP -TO- FLOOR PLAN
PLAN DIAGRAMS
I iterated between the overall floor plan, user walkpath, sales walkpath, and ideal dwell times to massage the sequence into a challenging L-shaped footprint.
RECEPTION
I led art direction and conceptual development for Reception, working closely with artists on the team to generate a sketch concept and adding notes for execution. Once approved for the client, the team developed it into the final rendering.
