Interview with Musa Çelik

Musa Çelik ("MÃ") interviewed on Tuesday, 20 March.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

MÃ : I founded Tasarist in 2011 to direct my design know-how to packaging and specialized in this field. Before Tasarist, I worked in several agencies as an Art Director. I graduated from fine arts and then I decided to work in graphic design area.

How did you become a designer?

MÃ : After my graduation from fine arts, I preferred to work in the graphic design area. I worked for ad agencies as an Art Director for several years. Then, I met packaging design. I decided to specialize in packaging design because in my opinion packaging is one of the most important elements of marketing and a distilled expertise is needed for this field. Actually being a designer was not my dream but today I can easily say that sketches and forms are best expression tools.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

MÃ : My design process starts with creative brief. I prefer to take my design briefs both verbal and written. After every detail is clarified for the brief and all of the aspects of the project are agreed, I start to collect the examples. I try to examine as much as possible design examples related to my project. Latest trends, absolute musts of packaging, good and bad examples, shortcomings of the category are all noted. Thus, the design process was started with a detailed knowledge of the competitors and category. Then, I prepare my alternatives and present them to my client. Revisions are applied to the chosen alternatives and final design approval is taken. The last stage is preparing the design for production and follow the process till my packaging design appears on the shelf.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

MÃ : A design that is inline with the brief given by the brand will satisfy both the brand and the designer. So the part of creation that we call the heart of designing is the part that excites me the most.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

MÃ : Packaging design, with may functions such as communication, persuasion, environmental awareness, ease of use, transportation, storage, etc.. requires going beyond design with a very good ability and distilled experience. Not just design; you need to know the customer's view. Unlike the work done at the ad agencies, it is very pleasant for me to see your packaging designs for a long time in your life, but the idea of an agency specializing in packaging design was the effect on the sales. Beside designing, my marketing and customer&shopper know-how are important factors in being a good designer.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

MÃ : We believe that the task of packaging design will increase in the future with increasing the competition. As Turkey's reference packaging design company, we would like to would like to consolidate our achievements with more awards and successful projects.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

MÃ : It is really hard to dress up a package which will represent its brand for years, a special design ability and distilled expertise are needed. Thus, patience and determination are very important in packaging design field. The ones who want to specialize in packaging design should prepare themselves to be careful about even the smallest details. Following the latest trends of marketing and packaging ability to look from different perspectives are also so crucial for packaging design professionals.

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

MÃ : They should be follow the latest trends of both marketing and packaging because everything changes very fast. And it shouldn't be forget that every detail is important. They should analyse the market that they will be work in it.

What is your day to day look like?

MÃ : Some people love routine life, but I prefer spontaneously. Because of this, there is not a certain daily routine. I deal with each brand / customer in different dynamics. I assimilated the project before I start designing. Just as a player plays the role, I create a different way of thinking for each project.

How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?

MÃ : We combine design trends with consumer behavior and take into consideration consumer values. Consumer behavior is also changing over time. Especially with the development of social media, it is even faster. Therefore, monitoring consumer behavior is more effective.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

Mà : If a packaging design is creative, unique and functional, has relevance with the product and simple yet striking, we can easily say that that is a great design. A good design can be easily differentiated from the others. It should catch the attention of its target audience at a glance and it should be functional. Besides if it hasn’t a story, we can’t talk about a good design.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

MÃ : The design never actually ends, it can only be improved for the next year or period, which can be confirmed for that period. Because everything is consumed so fast, then the design that satisfies you may not satisfy you the next time.

What is your biggest design work?

MÃ : Tasarist logo project. It was necessary to tell what was meant by both simple and meaning of the word itself so this was the project I have been thinking about for the longest time.

Who is your favourite designer?

MÃ : Gaudi. Because he has designs far beyond the time and outside the classic world. His designs are like they come from another dimension.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

MÃ : I am living in Istanbul/Turkey. It is a really special and inspiring region. Connecting Asia and Europe and being a perfect synthesis of east and west create rich cultural heritage for Istanbul. I have the chance to feed my creativity only even by walking in the amazing streets of this city. On the other hand, importance and respect which should be given to good design and designers are still below the deserved level. This is the main disadvantage of Turkey for designers.

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

MÃ : I worked for packaging design agencies and design department of trademarks for several years. I have been working for firms in two ways since I founded Tasarist in 2011. It can be fee-based or project based.

What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?

MÃ : Making responsible designs is no longer optional. As a designer, one of our main responsibilities should be designing environmentally conscious alternatives and influence the audiences to make sustainable choices.

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

MÃ : Being with the best designers of the world and making our designs more visible.

Musa Çelik Profile