my story
Nearly thirty years of design practice. Ten years researching how children think through making. My work sits at the intersection of design, learning, and making designing products, spaces, and systems that connect creativity, sustainability, and education.
After graduating from Bilkent University’s Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, I went on to complete the Design Culture & Management Program at Istanbul Bilgi University. In 2000, I co-founded ProjeTasarlaT|R, an amateur design collective, and helped organize its first exhibitions. Between 2005 and 2007, I worked as project manager for Istanbul’s first Design Week, developing creative projects for numerous brands.
Over the years that followed, I built experience across interior architecture, design management, and branding, always guided by a “3E” framework I hold myself to: Economy, Ecology, Ethics. Alongside this practice, I’ve served as a university jury member and guest lecturer, supporting the next generation of designers.
The past ten years have centred on a specific question: how do children think through making? That research led, in 2015, to GOM, a paper-module design education tool registered with the Turkish Patent Institute, exploring design pedagogy and gamification through local production. GOM-YAP, its companion workshop arm, now brings interdisciplinary educational content to learners of all ages.
Today, my mentoring combines design thinking, systems thinking, and real-world product development. I enjoy helping teams clarify complex ideas, build meaningful user experiences, and translate creative concepts into viable products and services. I continue to lead seminars and workshops on creative courage and design culture at universities and institutions, write for www.manifold.press and mentor within the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
design phılosophy
1. Listen & Understand — Active listening to define context, purpose, and goals; understanding whether a real need or problem is being addressed.
2. Explore & Create — Researching relevant innovations, defining the scope of the design space, forming teams and ideas.
3. Research & Develop — Iterating with the team — sharing, observing, testing. Is the process practical, inclusive, and forward-looking?
4. Test & Refine — Testing the finished concept with real users and refining the product, system, or idea based on feedback.