Carlos Herrera

Concept design, creative direction, and design advisory for hospitality and retail brands and design-build partners — bringing studio-level creative leadership to projects on an engagement basis.

Built and led the design studio — hiring, mentorship, creative direction, and the design quality bar across hospitality and retail projects in the U.S. and Mexico. Drove concept-through-delivery for boutique hotel programs, flagship retail, and mixed-use environments — including custom furniture, lighting, and FF&E. Partnered directly with owners, operators, and brand teams to translate brand strategy into space that performed under construction, budget, and operator realities. Set studio-wide standards for design documentation, presentation craft, and cross-functional client communication.

Developed next-generation store concepts for one of the world's most recognized brand-experience companies, with direct influence on designs rolled out across thousands of stores globally. Translated customer research, brand strategy, and operational requirements into prototype designs across multiple store formats — cafés, drive-thru, Reserve, and kiosk programs. Worked cross-functionally with brand, operations, real estate, and store-development teams to align design with business performance and brand consistency at multi-site scale. Tested concepts at single-store level and refined them for system-wide rollout.