Together with the Depot WPF branding agency we continue to publish a series of exclusive interviews with directors of branding companies from GLBA — Global Local Branding Alliance. Seven professionals from seven countries will tell about national market particularities, about what works and what doesn’t work in local branding and about the qualities which a designer who’s willing to work in a foreign country must possess.
Together with the Depot WPF branding agency we continue to publish a series of exclusive interviews with directors of branding companies from GLBA — Global Local Branding Alliance. Seven professionals from seven countries will tell about national market particularities, about what works and what doesn’t work in local branding and about the qualities which a designer who’s willing to work in a foreign country must possess.
We got acquainted with agencies from China and South Africa. Now it is turn of Turkey! Creative director Orhan Irmak Tasarim agency from Istanbul Orhan Irmak told the WTP editors about the national peculiarities of the Turkish package, the value of alternative solutions and explained why the main requirement for future Orhan Irmak Tasarim’s employee is happiness.
Orhan Irmak: Orhan Irmak Tasarım was founded 12 years ago. The launch of the agency specialized on package design was something new for the creative market because most of the package design works were solved by freelance designers or design departments of the package producers and printing houses. On the other hand, multinational brands on the other hand were working with global package design agencies via their branches in Istanbul. There were almost no specialized local package design agency. We were among the first specialized design agencies in Turkey who combine industrial design and graphic design under total package experience for brands.
From the beginning the aim of Orhan Irmak Tasarim has been to provide package design service at the same level with global branding agencies. The significant advantage over the global competitors were a long-term presence in Turkish market and understanding of the local consumers (by the way, package design has always been a cultural side). Now we successfully cooperate with both well-known global brands, and the «stars» of the local market.
But new forms, precisely, new design solutions work for everyone, not just for young people despite the fact that brands are still reluctant to invest in industrial design. According to the low purchasing power in the country, consumers are invariably attracted by promo-bags and gift package.
I am absolutely sure that the package design in each country has a unique "face" and its own cultural features as well as music, food preferences, habits, color values, and so on. For example, bright colors always attract Turkish consumers while pastel colors still don’t have a chance to capture consumers’ attention when they are looking through the shelf.
At the same time we have a very young and curious audience and therefore new brands and new products always have a chance. This factor affects the package design in Turkey as a whole: young consumers expect that brands will use fresh images and dynamic visual language.
But new forms, precisely, new design solutions work for everyone, not just for young people despite the fact that brands are still reluctant to invest in industrial design. According to the low purchasing power in the country, consumers are invariably attracted by promo-bags and gift package.
Today a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating are among the most important trends in Turkey. Another trend we see is that consumers are looking for local tastes. Even global brands try to localize with their products and packages for Turkish market to catch this trend.
In every project we try to satisfy three needs: brand’s need, consumer’s need and our (designer’s) need. With having this in mind, we draw our borders and ask ourselves how far we can go. It is always good to know your borders and then try to extend them.
I definitely believe that several workable strategies can exist. In addition to the basic decisions in the presentation we include some alternatives that go beyond the brief (but always perfectly workable). It opens up new horizons for our clients. I believe our clients appreciate this approach even if we stay only with one version. They also appreciate our research phase, which we take very seriously and, of course, the fact that we are representing GLBA — Global Local Branding Alliance in Turkey and Middle East.
Sometimes brand managers want the design to be simple as instruction to the IKEA furniture. This is the biggest mistake — to think that the consumer is an idiot. I think this is due to the lack of company’s self-confidence. Modern consumers are happy to engage in brand communication and a little space for their imagination builds a stronger relationship between brand and the consumer via packaging design.
Three qualities that Orhan Irmak Tasarım’s employee requires:
Be happy
Being happy is the prime feature we expect from the candidate in addition to basic skills, of course. This condition let people who paint become true designers.
Be enthusiastic about research
A research is a very important part of our design process.
Don’t forget to live their lives
We want our designers communicate with their families and friends, Find time for themself, develop skills, just travel or look for something new. Therefore, we never work overtime at Orhan Irmak Tasarım and we expect our designers to complete their projects on time.
I am an industrial designer. Therefore, I am very attentive to the engineering design component and care that the form was worked out at the highest level. The visual language of the brand is fully perceived only with a correct combination of structural and graphical design. However, structural design is also very time and budget consuming for brands. If a brand changes its graphic design in packaging every two years, a totally new structural design may be expected to change in every five years.
I am working as a professional designer for 16 years. However, it’s my 12th year in packaging design. What is still unknown for me is how to design typography and how to take photograph. Both are very powerful communication tools in packaging design. Thanks god, I know how to give creative direction to photographers and how to choose best suitable typography.
I have already forgotten how to buy necessary products in supermarket and enjoy the beautiful packaging as a typical consumer. Unfortunately, this is no more possible as supermarket visits become a regular activity of our business.
5 strongest Turkish designers according to Orhan Irmak: : Özlem Tuna, Meriç Kara, Adlıhan Tartan, Kunter Şekercioğlu, Tamer Nakışçı