The Brief
As digital banking transformed the way customers interacted with financial institutions, Diamond Trust Bank recognised that the role of the physical branch needed to evolve alongside it. Routine transactions were increasingly moving to digital channels, creating an opportunity for branches to become destinations for advice, relationship building and personalised service.
The brief was to develop a contemporary branch concept that reflected this shift, preserving the qualities customers already trusted while creating environments that embodied a progressive, customer-centric brand.
Retail Design and Implementation
Rather than redesigning branches for aesthetics alone, the project focused on redefining their purpose.
The new interiors were designed to support meaningful customer engagement through open planning, intuitive customer journeys and welcoming consultation spaces. Spaciousness, functionality and clarity remained at the heart of the design, while contemporary materials, integrated branding and carefully considered lighting created environments that felt both modern and reassuring.
The design system provided DTB with a consistent platform for refurbishments and new branches, ensuring that every location delivered the same high-quality brand experience while supporting the bank's evolving service model.
Brand Impact
The redesigned branches became the physical expression of DTB's transformation. As digital channels took on routine banking, the branch assumed a more strategic role, strengthening relationships, building trust and providing expert financial guidance.
By aligning the customer environment with this new role, the branch network reinforced DTB's broader business strategy of combining digital convenience with personal service. The result was a brand experience that felt seamless across channels, with digital technology enhancing convenience and the physical environment deepening customer relationships. This integrated approach continues to underpin DTB's growth strategy across East Africa. [source]
“OneTwoSix's designs for our bank branches have been nothing short of remarkable. Maintaining a focus on spaciousness and functionality has greatly enhanced the overall customer experience.”
James Loden
Chief Operating Officer, Diamond Trust Bank Kenya
Legacy
The DTB branch transformation demonstrates that digital banking does not diminish the importance of the physical environment, it elevates it. As transactions migrate online, branches become the primary stage on which a bank's brand, expertise and customer relationships are experienced. By translating this strategic shift into thoughtfully designed customer environments, DTB created a branch network that continues to support its ambition of being one of East Africa's leading customer-centric, digitally enabled banks.