5 Star Plus Retail Design’s Founder and Managing Director, Barbara Seidelmann, was invited to give an online talk at the Nottingham-based National Design Academy on August 12.
Barbara spent 17 years working in China, developing expertise across strategy, luxury retail, brand development, marketing, and design. Today, she leads 5 Star Plus Retail Design, an international retail design company with offices and partnerships across Europe, China, Asia, and the Middle East, as well as projects in international markets.
In August 2026, Barbara returned to the National Design Academy (NDA), this time not as a student, but as an established industry professional and guest speaker. Having previously studied at the NDA herself, she was invited back to share her experience and knowledge with the next generation of designers.
Her visit reflects the strong connection between the academy and its alumni. Many NDA graduates go on to build successful careers and businesses of their own, creating opportunities for those who once studied at the academy to return and contribute to the next generation.
As an alumna of the faculty, Barbara shared her professional journey and tips on how to start a retail design business with current NDA students. Barbara also presented international projects completed by 5 Star Plus Retail Design and how strategies like storytelling, positioning, target customer focus, interaction, and technology can be successfully incorporated in design projects.
Here are some of the questions asked by students:
- When did you know that you wanted to start building up your own business? How did you know it was the right time?
Barbara: I started my own business when I was 30 years old. For me, it was the perfect time because I had collected sufficient experience and felt the drive to build up a business. But I think that this is different for everyone. If you start early, you have less experience, but a lot of energy and drive, and the other way round when you start later.
- How do you get clients after starting your own business
Barbara: We believe in a combination of multiple activities: Investing time and energy in marketing, having a good website and social media presence, and building strong networks through attending events and memberships with professional organizations. Ideally, projects come in through different channels that complement each other.
- When did you feel really happy and proud of a project that you have completed?
Barbara: Every time when three conditions are fulfilled: 1. the team and I develop a design that we believe is really stunning, 2. When the client’s team is really happy and excited with the result too, and 3. When the build of the design turns out really nicely.
- What resources should I focus on reading to prepare for professional practice?
Barbara: I think that each designer should develop their own visual style and language. What will give you confidence, though, especially in the beginning, is knowing your basics, including technical standards such as standard dimensions for different types of furniture and lighting specifications. You can always make a design look pretty, but it has to be functional first.
From Brand Strategy to Customer Experience
One of the key themes in Barbara’s presentation was the connection between brand strategy and physical experience. Before designing a space, brands need to understand their positioning, target customers, and objectives. The resulting environment should then make those elements tangible.
For us at 5 Star Plus Retail Design, this starts with authenticity and strategic thinking. Design should express the distinctive values of a brand while helping it move towards its wider business objectives. This makes customer experience design an essential part of modern retail strategy. Storytelling, interaction, community and experience are therefore becoming important components of retail concepts.
Designing for a More Sustainable Future
Sustainability is another area where retail and exhibition design are evolving. Instead of designing spaces only for a single moment, designers can increasingly consider adaptability, reuse and long-term value from the beginning.
This principle is reflected in the current collaboration between 5 Star Plus Retail Design and the National Design Academy. In parallel to Barbara’s guest talk, the two organizations launched a student competition focused on developing an innovative and sustainable exhibition stand system, with an emphasis on modularity, reusability and adaptability. The competition challenges students to consider how exhibition design can reduce waste and transportation requirements while remaining functional and visually compelling.
Her message to the next generation of designers is particularly relevant to the changing retail industry: Creative design and commercial thinking need to work together.
Looking Ahead
Barbara Seidelmann’s recent conversation with the National Design Academy offered an opportunity to reflect on that evolution, from her own journey in design to the changing demands placed on retail environments today.
For brands and aspiring retail designers, the opportunity is clear: physical spaces can become much more than places to sell products. They can become places where customers experience the brand.
