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Writer's picturecan özdoğan

From Sketches to Digital Magic: My Design Journey


It all started at the prestigious Istasyon Sanat Academy, where I spent two years diving into the world of drawing and graphic design. I got up close and personal with colors, wrestled with printing techniques, and developed a love-hate relationship with typography. By the time I graduated in 2000, I was ready to paint the world in my own colors.


I began my career in boutique and mid-sized agencies, moving swiftly from junior designer to full-on pro. During that time, I became a master of printing techniques, paper textures, color theory, and, of course, the ever-elusive typography.


Then, I landed at Rekare Agency, where I dipped my toes into the world of shopper marketing. My main client was Bizim Mutfak, and I also handled designs for Luna, Teremyağ, Cafe Crown, and various Yıldız Holding brands. I even got to design their annual reports, which made me the unofficial king of paper!


After hopping around a few agencies, I decided to step up my game and joined Altavia Turkey as an Art Director. There, I handled everything from CarrefourSA's weekly inserts to product shoots, guiding the photography team to bring my vision to life. Plus, I had the fun task of going to their HQ every week for client meetings, where I got to pitch exciting new projects.


Next stop: deep360, a social media agency where I worked on Carl’s Jr., Vakıf Taşdelen, and Sertrans Logistics, among others. My role was all about team coordination—working with copywriters, social media experts, and junior designers to whip up killer content. Oh, and I also crafted desktop films and countless internal communication designs for Anadolubank, my main client there. No pressure, right?


At TBWA, within their Being Solution Agency, I was the Art Director for Kanal D, where I designed all the posters for their TV shows and programs. This job was like a creative dream—first, we’d get the scripts and character analyses, then I’d work on mood boards to present our poster ideas, go to the photoshoots to guide the photographers and actors, and finally bring those photos to life in the designs. I also took care of social media visuals, working closely with a dedicated social media team. The workload was crazy, but TBWA was one of the best challenges in my career.


My other major brand there was Kamil Koç, where I handled everything from branch visuals to social media content. Oh, and I also got to collaborate with Akbank and Red Bull, which led to me organizing and coordinating all the visuals for Red Bull’s Flight Day. Talk about adrenaline!


After that, I shifted gears again and joined Victor Orbis as a Senior Art Director. There, I led a team of designers and focused primarily on PTT, designing everything from in-store posters to monthly social media plans for their sub-brands like PTT Logistics and Turpex. Managing a design team was a whole new experience, but I loved the challenge.


Of course, not everything is smooth sailing. When things got a bit too complicated at Victor Orbis, I decided it was time for new horizons. I ended up at Trem Global, part of Tor Holding, during the pandemic. Working remotely saved me from Esenyurt’s infamous traffic, and I embraced the freedom of digital work.


Then came my next adventure: Cheil Worldwide, Samsung's in-house agency. I spent 1.5 years there, primarily working on HD Holding’s brands Pidem, HD İskender, and Makarnam. Occasionally, I’d jump in to help out with Samsung projects, too. Cheil was easily one of the most enjoyable agencies I’ve ever worked for—cool flat office, spacious setup in the heart of Istanbul—but, unfortunately, the paycheck wasn’t as exciting, so I decided to move on to Demirören Media. I won’t get into details about that here (maybe in another blog post!), but let’s just say it was short-lived.


And now, I’ve been happily sailing along with Digital Exchange for over a year. Here, I get to juggle digital projects, social media content, and plenty of creative challenges. It’s been a wild ride, blending traditional advertising with the fast-paced world of digital and social media.


In my spare time, I love playing around with photo manipulation, creative retouching, and digital painting on my tablet. Lately, I’ve been diving into animated content and mobile web design, always eager to learn something new. After all, in the world of design, there’s always another mountain to climb—and I’m enjoying every step of the way!

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