Zeynep Köksal Can

Zeynep Köksal Can is a colorful and dynamic product designer with a simple style. After studying industrial design and textile in university, she received her master’s degree in designing. She took an interest in design during childhood. She says “As a grandchild of an architect, my story began on the dunes and cement blocks in construction sites. First, I wanted to become an architect like my grandfather. While I was drawing of building facades and storey plans, I started focusing on details and designing products. I have been doing this professionally for 8 years. Drawing a product that I imagine first, and seeing what I have imagined turn into reality is the most important reason why I have chosen this profession. Especially, witnessing what you have produced is being used is very satisfying. I like designing products that can be held in hands and used in daily life. I mostly work on tabletop objects. You can usually find geometric figures and simple and colorful objects in my collections. My favorite material lately is porcelain. Giving form to what you imagine, making it real and being a part of that product is not possible for every material.” Her philosophy of design is to bring both visual and functional and also simple products into life. The designer says “What makes a good design is usability. If the user easily perceives and uses the product you have designed, then it’s a good product. A designer definitely has no boundaries because he/she is no different than a thinker or an artist. It would be like telling a painter that there is nothing to paint anymore. For example, every new material means new designs. With new materials, you start imagining what you haven’t imagined until then. Nowadays, success comes with recognition as well as with functionality and aesthetics but I think designer’s biggest success is producing a product that can be used for generations and become a classic. While art directly addresses soul and eyes, design adds function to all of that. Like in every sector, we can’t deny the existence and importance of trends in design but I don’t think a good designer is supposed to follow trends. In addition to its function and aesthetics, a product that appeals to all kinds and generations of people becomes a classic. We can’t deny the importance of geography and culture in design. We are losing our essence; however, difference in design lies in local production techniques and prints. In my opinion, it’s not right to remain in one discipline and doing works from various disciplines expands a designer’s vision. Of course, every discipline has different dynamics and designers of that discipline understand that best. I have a dream to design at least one product of all products that can take place in a house, instead of designing one type of product. It’s very attractive to design various product types with different materials because it would result in brand new things.” Nowadays she is working on a porcelain tabletop object series with mostly geometric figures. She finishes her words saying “Get inspired from everything in life. No matter what, don’t copy someone else; be yourself and confident!”