Erdem Akan

Erdem Akan was born in Istanbul. He graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Bosphorus University. He received a British Council Chevening scholarship and completed his master’s degree in Industrial Design at the University of Salford in Manchester. After returning to Istanbul, Akan completed his design studies in the Program of Design Culture and Management at Istanbul Bilgi University. From 1996 to 2001, he has undertaken several design and coordination activities for commercial vehicle projects at Ford Motor Company Design Studios in Istanbul, Dunton, and Dearborn. From 2001 to 2004, Akan worked as a design manager for Gaia & Gino in Istanbul. In 2004, he founded “maybedesign” with Boğaç Şimşir, Bora Akçay, and Enver Eren. Akan and his team have been working in various fields from art to engineering, product design, and architecture in Istanbul and Vienna. His unique design approach is both aesthetically sensitive and stylistically conscious. Akan’s most notable designs include objects such as the eastmeetswest tea glass, the sitbag series, and jewelry. He and his team opened the first retail store, which functions as a showcase and platform for emerging designers in Turkey as well as already prominent designers. Akan has given lectures, workshops, and seminars at various universities. He has also organized design exhibitions at many art galleries. His designs have been featured in many design magazines such as Wallpaper, New York Times Style Magazine, Interni, Elle Dékor, and ID.

Reference: erdemakan.com, maybedesign.at