We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Fatih ÖZKAYA ("FÃ").
I am someone who looks at designs differently and therefore has a truly high visual intelligence. I have the power to design anything from anything. No matter what it is, whether it is a reflection, a wave, or any shape or interlocking of shapes, etc., I always create a work from there.
Fatih ÖZKAYA Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Fatih ÖZKAYA.
Fatih ÖZKAYA Design - Venturi Showcase
Designer Interview of Fatih ÖZKAYA:
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?
FÃ : I have a 10-year design background. During this period, I made designs for different sectors, from evening dress design to jewelry design, from vehicle tent design to VIP vehicle design. My thing about design has always been making something manufacturable and going further back my passion for painting and yes I always wanted to be a designer.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
FÃ : I am a freelancer. I offer solutions to companies in line with their wishes, dreams and goals.
DI: What is "design" for you?
FÃ : Design; It is an artistic concept that comes from artistic hands controlled by the brain and where a person visually explains his/her dream world to 2nd or 3rd people.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
FÃ : If I had to list the works I like to design the most; Furniture - evening dresses - vip vehicle interior.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
FÃ : My favorite design is furniture because it is an indispensable part of human life. These are products that help people relieve all their tiredness, rest, relax and spend time with their loved ones.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
FÃ : The first thing I designed was a few evening dresses.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
FÃ : My favorite material is brushed metal. My favorite platform is Instagram. My favorite technology is of course automobiles :) .
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
FÃ : I feel most creative when I make great designs later at night, when everyone is asleep and silence falls.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
FÃ : First of all, visual power is very important, as well as functionality and ease of production.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
FÃ : When I create something that is actually good and different, I feel happy, like a child receiving his/her favorite toy unexpectedly.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
FÃ : It is one of those feelings that is truly impossible to describe. If I had to describe it in one word, it's unique.
DI: What makes a design successful?
FÃ : What makes a design truly successful is that it is accepted and appreciated by everyone.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
FÃ : At first glance, visual power is very important to me. Then comfort and functionality.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
FÃ : Its biggest responsibility is to make sustainable designs and to pay extreme attention to creating designs suitable for all segments of society.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
FÃ : I have studied and studied designs in many fields from past to present, and during this time period, designs have been shaped in parallel with individual needs and the lifestyles of people of their period, as in every field. This situation would be the same in the future. Designs that are simpler but more comfortable and more integrated into people's lives will emerge.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
FÃ : I have not held an exhibition until today.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
FÃ : I design anything from anything. Everything inspires me. I feed my creativity by constantly working, just like the human body needs food every day.
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?
FÃ : I can say that my design style is fluent and understandable. The main reason why I discovered style was automobiles with flowing lines from past to present, and the main features of my style are that they emerged from different perspectives and that the starting and ending points of each design are in harmony with each other.
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?
FÃ : I live in Turkey. Of course, many cultural things in my country play a role in shaping my designs. The downside of my geographical location is that it does not give much value to designers, and the plus is that it is really enjoyable to live in 4 seasons and create different designs with different moods while designing in each season.
DI: How do you work with companies?
FÃ : I offer designs to companies in line with their vision and mission and taking into account their customer base. We continue the process by making production detail drawings and production follow-up in the later stages of the accepted designs.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
FÃ : I would like to point out that if they want to make a difference and be different, they always need a designer. When choosing a good designer, companies should carefully analyze and research how original and creative all the work the designer has done and will do is designed. They should never start their journey with people who change an existing design and present it to them.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
FÃ : First, I determine what kind of design I will make. Then, I examine hundreds of images from dozens of sources. Afterwards, I focus on the details of the ones that best suit the design I will make and take notes. Finally, I decide which audience my design will appeal to and start designing.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
FÃ : Line, color, shape, size and texture.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
FÃ : I can say that every day is spent designing and doing research on whatever I will design.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
FÃ : They definitely need to work hard. This is very important to develop and progress, but it is not about working too much, but working correctly and logically. My biggest and only suggestion to young designers is that they should love whatever design they make, and love it more than necessary. Then success will come in a short time.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
FÃ : The most positive thing is that it is a wonderful thing when a design you make meets with life. The downside is that designers are not given the necessary value in the country I live in.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
FÃ : There must definitely be a VISUAL DIFFERENCE.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
FÃ : He/she should be able to take his/her design from a sketch and digitalize it, turn it into 3D and transfer it onto the necessary materials in the best possible way.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
FÃ : First of all, I make sketch designs. Then I use 3ds max and photoshop. As a source of inspiration, I follow hundreds of brands on social media and watch their videos on YouTube. I also review magazines, but I mostly use them to read about the designs rather than the designs themselves.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
FÃ : To do this, I first look at what the design is about. Afterwards, I take care to use my time in the most efficient way, according to the detail and functionality of the design. I know that the most difficult part of the design is the sketch and first I analyze the time I will finish here and then the 3D model part progresses very quickly.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
FÃ : This always varies depending on the design, but to say the least, at least half a day, at most 2 days.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
FÃ : I'm always asked how I come up with so many different designs. :) I have 6 notebooks full of designs, each consisting of approximately 250 pages.
DI: What was your most important job experience?
FÃ : VIP vehicle interior design.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
FÃ : Most of them are furniture companies located in my country. Apart from these, there are companies that produce VIP vehicle interiors.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
FÃ : Again, furniture is the most important because it is a sector with a lot of diversity within itself.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
FÃ : My future plan is to design for world-famous furniture companies.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
FÃ : I am currently developing it myself.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
FÃ : I have prepared two wonderful collections for Elve furniture to be exhibited at the 2025 Istanbul fair and they are in the production phase. There were really beautiful designs and one of the collections in particular was really different for this fair.
DI: How can people contact you?
FÃ : They can contact me via social media. It's one of the places I go to most often. @fthluxdesign
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
FÃ : The contribution of designs to human life.