We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Musa Çelik ("MÃ").
Musa Celik graduated from fine arts department in university and then he decided to focus on designing. After working in some companies he founded his design agency Tasarist in 2011. He specialized on packaging design and worked with many local and global brands. He is a well known designer in his country and he has lots of national and international awards. He designed a lot of home care product package for well known brands in Turkey.
Musa Çelik Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Musa Çelik.
Musa Çelik Design - Greyder V Package Design
Musa Çelik Design - Messenger Angel Packaging
Musa Çelik Design - Eco Smile Packaging
Musa Çelik Design - Super Box Package
Musa Çelik Design - Beltur Go Packaging
Designer Interview of Musa Çelik:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
MÃ : My drawing ability was discovered in primary school and my teachers directed me to take fine arts education. After my graduation I worked for ad agencies as an art director for a while. Then, I decided to specialize in packaging design.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
MÃ : I founded Tasarist in 2011 to direct my design know-how to packaging and specialized in this field. Providing industrial and graphical packaging design services together, we generate integrated strategies in Tasarist.
DI: What is "design" for you?
MÃ : Packaging design is a perfect combination of art and commerce. Packaging has the power to fulfill many functions like communication, persuasion, convenience, protection, being eco-friendly, aesthetics perception. 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.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
MÃ : I like making industrial designs, especially bottles.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
MÃ : It is really hard to specify a single project from my works. But I can say that, I worked on MealBox with pleasure and the result is pretty satisfactory.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
MÃ : The first thing that I designed is a logo for a local TV channel.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
MÃ : Everything in 3D is my favourite. 3D programmes, printers, visuals, etc..
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
MÃ : I feel myself most creative in times when I have full concentration for the project. Music is my indispensable factor for concentration.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
MÃ : I try to make designs which are unique, target oriented and functional. Besides, in packaging design field production costs should also be considered.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
MÃ : Creative impulse, stress, joy and relief at the end.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
MÃ : Pride, happiness, achievement
DI: What makes a design successful?
MÃ : 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.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
Mà : 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.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
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.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
MÃ : People are more conscious and demanding compare to past. They have the chance to find out the latest trends and see great design examples from all over the world by the help of internet and social media channels. This situation forces designers to make more innovative and premium designs. Besides, sustainability and glocalization are two main trends that can affect future of design.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
MÃ : My last exhibition was in September, 2013 in Eurasia Packaging Fair, Istanbul/Turkey. I wish and target to have exhibitions in almost all over the world.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
MÃ : Visuals and design alternatives are formed in my mind starting with brief. Then, I start to collect examples related to the project. I make online search, archives scanning and mall visits. I also follow the latest trends of marketing and design. So, my inspirations come from all these sources as well as my other personal and professional experiences.
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
MÃ : I like packaging designs that provide maximum benefits. It is also important that it is functional beside aesthetic.
DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
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 even only 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.
DI: How do you work with companies?
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.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
MÃ : In order to find the right designer, significant experience, accurate and adequate references, defined design processes, a diverse and good portfolio should be the main points for firms to consider.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
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.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
MÃ : My MacBook, my wife, my shoes
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
MÃ : I prefer to wake up early and begin the day with a good breakfast. Then, I go to my office and skim current news. After checking my emails I start to work on my new or in progress projects. After hours, I go to the gym or have a after work drink with a friend. I certainly read a design or marketing magazine before I go to bed.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
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.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
MÃ : Creating is a very painful process and requires high concentration, but as a result you reach something beautiful so it is durable and satisfying.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
MÃ : Research. Value and respect to theirselves, to the design and the designer is very important.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
MÃ : Creativity, work discipline, patience and versatility.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
MÃ : As design tools, we use the latest technologies in 3D and 2D programs.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
MÃ : I wake up early in the morning. I also prefer to work in a disciplined and systematic way to meet tight deadlines. With few exception, I allocate weekend and evening hours for my personal life only.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
MÃ : Actually, it is impossible to give a clear answer for this question. The duration of design process differs from project to project.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
MÃ : What is the most inspired thing to you?
DI: What was your most important job experience?
MÃ : Founded and survived my own design office.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
MÃ : Loreal, Bingo, Papia, Molfix, Molped, MealBox, Familia, Indomie, Ulker, Wee Baby
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
MÃ : Sketch and 3d modelling stages of bottles are my favorites.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
MÃ : I will continue working on packaging design in my agency. I want to enhance my service range and make designs for various categories. I also want to organize some workshops and training programmes for newcomers who want to specialize in packaging design.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
MÃ : I have a team which supports me for customer relations, research and implementation stage. But I prefer to work on my own during the creative work of the project.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
MÃ : As packaging design is a dynamic area, there are always works-in-progress. For instance, I am working on a redesign project of shampoo bottle and labels of a famous international brand.
DI: How can people contact you?
MÃ : They can contact me via www.tasarist.net or musa@tasarist.net
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
MÃ : No, thank you.