Meet Deniz Salacin Erciyas | Graphic Design

We had the good fortune of connecting with Deniz Salacin Erciyas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Deniz, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
What a world we live in, where almost everything is a cliche and a standard. Trends lead people into owning the exact same thing, which makes the world very dull and monotonous. I thought about personalizing items in design when I observed how uniform everything was. Things were so much more colorful when they were unique. First, I started personalizing things for my loved ones and myself. I designed items such as shoes, sneakers, leather items such as wallets, skateboards and such. After a while, after receiving many compliments on my work and further interest I decided to turn it into a business. I worked with companies such as HP, Bioderma, Vans and Caffe Nero on projects and I had a chance to work with Kanyon, a nice market shopping mall, on their customer mailings and communications. All of the projects that I worked at were all very inspiring.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
At the day and age of technology, and when almost everything is created digitally, I am proud to be producing my own designs by hand. Every single product is unique in its own way. Handcrafted designs give me the freedom and I believe they are a lot more valuable. What sets me apart from others is that I don’t ever have a draft design, I always improvise. I work with feelings, I draw as I feel like at the moment and my customers trust encourages me. I start each and every project with the utmost excitement and I work with non erasable paint and surfaces which always bring a surprise within the project’s process. I learned to be myself, being true to myself and unique. Whenever I am as such, my lines start to form and my character starts showing in my work. People start recognizing my work form the lines and colors that I use which are all a reflection of how I feel. I am proud of getting international orders and that my brand and my works are accessible globally. It is priceless when you see someone wearing shoes that you’ve painted for them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
İstanbul, the city I live in, has so many beautiful and inspiring spots that it is hard to name just a few. However, I seem to always find myself walking along the Bosphorus, admiring the views with the mosques, monuments, historic walls, and green spaces along with the bridges connecting two continents. If you are up early and get a chance to take this walk early in the morning you can be a part of watching the seagulls rush around the ferries and fisherman. I also feel some kind of serenity when I go to the Spice Market. The Old City seems to dazzle me each and every time. The smell of bread & fish stalls mixed with the plethora of spices on the stands along with the pigeons accustomed to the people walking by. I also love eating at Sunset, as per its name the best spot in İstanbul to watch the sunset over the Bosphorus. With its eclectic atmosphere, delicious food & drinks and amazing music it definitely is a place to be.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout goes out to Kandinsky! On a trip to London I visited a Kandinsky exhibition and was deeply inspired by the colors, shapes and lines that were used. The work made me realize how free one can be and that I needed to do something with colors. Furthermore, once I had the inspiration to pursue my career in this type of design my family has always been my support and huge part of mu success story and deserve recognition. Although my newborn son of 4 months was not a part of the creation of my career, he is the centerpiece in inspiring me to be unique and improve myself on daily basis. I would like to be the one who motivates him to do what he loves.

Website: www.denizsalacin.com
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