‘Design’ summit at IUE

Izmir University of Economics (IUE) organized an international symposium to support creativity and a culture of collaboration among designers. The symposium, which hosted 120 top-level designers, served as a platform for exchanging ideas to help designers enhance their foundation in academic literature and pave the way for quality publications. Held under the theme “Failing (Well) in Design Writing”, the event attracted experts from various cities in Turkey as well as guests from Italy.

Organized through the collaboration of the IUE Faculty of Fine Arts and Design and the Graduate School’s Design Studies Program, the symposium brought together participants from diverse fields including interior architecture and environmental design, architecture, industrial design, textile and fashion design, and visual communication design students, along with individuals from literature, photography, film, and engineering.

SPECIAL EXHIBITION FOR THE SYMPOSIUM

Opening speeches for the Design Studies Symposium were delivered by Prof. Dr. Mehmet Efe Biresselioğlu, Director of the IUE Graduate School; Prof. Dr. Ender Yazgan Bulgun, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design; Prof. Dr. Deniz Hasırcı, Head of the Design Studies Program and faculty member of the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design; and guest speaker Assoc. Prof. Dr. Orçun Kepez. As part of the event, graduate students and academics in the Design Studies program organized an exhibition, showcasing the extensive work they had developed during their courses.

“DESIGN WRITING IS A CULTURE”

Stating that the symposium focused on design and the culture of quality writing, Prof. Dr. Hasırcı said, “We combined these topics with the lessons learned from failures encountered during the preparation and publication stages of academic works, which are an essential part of academic life. We aimed to see challenges in design research, design writing, and publishing as opportunities for growth and learning. Every time your design project, article, or book proposal is rejected by national or international publishers or journals, you gain new insights and aim for the next step. These insights, and eventually acceptances, increase with experience. I believe this experience is invaluable. Through the symposium, we shared this knowledge, which is not often included in the courses, from many different perspectives.”

“WE CREATED A SINCERE ENVIRONMENT”

Prof. Dr. Hasırcı continued as follows: “We organized various mentorship meetings and exhibitions, aiming to help young designers progress more quickly. During the symposium, the best presentation and poster awards were chosen through participant voting. We held a certificate ceremony. Our day concluded with live music by ‘Two and a Half Band’; composed of Ali İnceoğlu and Ozan Tan, and a cocktail reception. I believe this symposium provided an exemplary academic and sincere social environment for discussing our shared interests.”

APPLICATIONS FOR ‘DESIGN STUDIES’ CONTINUE

Noting that a book on the symposium was published by IUE Press, Prof. Dr. Hasırcı said, “So far, the forewords of the four Design Studies symposium books, which were prepared by the program committee consisting of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Deniz Avcı, Asst. Prof. Dr. Tuba Doğu, Asst. Prof. Dr. Gözde Damla Turhan Haskara, and Research Assistant Ali Rıza Bayrak, were written by Prof. Dr. Tevfik Balcıoğlu, one of the program’s founders, along with internationally acclaimed academics Prof. John Woodham and Prof. Henry Sanoff. The foreword of the fifth book, which I co-edited with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gökhan Mura, Lecturer Dr. Emre Yıldız, and Research Assistant Ali Rıza Bayrak, was written by Prof. Hazel Clark. Along with the Graduate School and the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, many university departments collaborated effectively. The support of IUE Rector Prof. Dr. Yusuf Hakan Abacıoğlu, Graduate School Director Prof. Mehmet Efe Biresselioğlu, and Dean, Prof. Dr. Yazgan Bulgun was truly valuable. It was a fruitful experience with plenty of outcomes for many academics and students.”

Prof. Dr. Hasırcı also emphasized that the Design Studies master's and doctoral programs have gained significant recognition and that applications are now open, inviting all young individuals to join Izmir University of Economics.