Robb Report: December 2012 Issue

Orhan Gonen
Robb Report December 2012 Issue 
On Branding & Beyond

Building a brand with an integrated-communication approach is critical in today’s marketplace. More channels today, more noise, more competition between products, more products crossing borders, more competitors coming out of more places. Add to that, there is less sustainable differentiation between products. Brands are the only sustainable difference – that is why they are so invaluable, and every client is riveted. Every touchpoint that you interact your potential customer should be designed as an integral part of your brand strategy.

This month on Robb Report, Orhan Gonen talks about branding and beyond.

Maison Française: December 2012 Issue

Orhan Gonen & Oytun Berktan
Maison Française December 2012 Issue 
On Brand Design & Architecture

Brands have souls, and that unique existence is mainly attached to a visual identity. There are various forms of visuality. Graphic communication and architecture are the main components of a well-defined brand identity. But the starting point is the core strategy. This month on Maison Française, Orhan Gonen and Oytun Berktan talk about brand design and its integrated perspective.

Vogue Italia: Photography by Orhan Gonen

Vogue is an iconic publication known as the trendsetter in fashion and lifestyle. My first encounter with this legendary magazine dates back to my college years. I remember how excited I was every time going to the magazine store to get the latest issue. I've been finding some kind of salvation and inspiration through the pages, dreaming about a future career certainly in graphic design and trend-watching.

I've never thought of having one of my pieces to be published on Vogue one day. And that dream came true. I am working on various photography projects since 2009, starting with the Casa de la passe exhibition in London. I never call myself a photographer, but rather position myself as a visual artist. Photography is certainly an integral part of graphic design, and my perception of various things lead me to concentrate more on reflecting how I see the world around me. I first started by photographing close-up objects, then found more interest in portraits. Then came the concepting of lifestyle perspective. I used some of my pieces in various advertising campaigns I generated for my clients. Branding is principally related to visual aspects in design phase, so actually what I do has always attendantly involved photography.

Istanbul Series reflect my view of Istanbul. From Beyoglu to the Historical Peninsula, this authentic city must have been photographed by many artists from different perspectives. In this collection, I mainly focused on the illusion related to one's own perception, and used my lens in order to reflect manipulation of how I perceive Istanbul. The whole journey was like Alice in Wonderland, playing around to catch each monument, place or symbolic figure related with this city. One of the pieces from the series, "Harem" is published on Vogue Italia.

Redefining Urban Luxury

Luxury can be stated as great comfort and extravagant living. It may well be said that luxury is a basic human need – a way of winning something back against the cruelty of life. And the urge appears to have been there from the beginning. Man has aspired to better things since he first glimpsed the stars. The primitive impulses behind our desire for luxury also nudge us towards a clearer definition of this slippery word. Luxury is often associated with the realm of the senses: voluptuous images, tastes, odours and sensations. Indeed, sensuality is a key component of many luxury brands.

As Coco Chanel once said "luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it's not luxury". Berry submits the idea in another perspective and suggests that a luxury is a refinement on something that already exists. It is not superfluous, but it is substitutable. In other words, any car will get you from A to B, but driving a Bentley provides an additional sensual pleasure. That's the exact start point of my latest project, Urban Suites Istanbul.

Luxury accommodation is a rising trend in Istanbul, one of the biggest urban areas of the ancient world. From the golden ages of Greek and Macedonian era, to Roman and Ottoman period, the city has always reflected spark of the noble and wealthy. In realm of contemporary Istanbul, Urban Suites redefine the sense of luxury accommodation by combining the authentic with the current. It offers a unique Istanbul experience along with urban temptations of the Cihangir district, famous for its gourmet tastes and entertaining night life. Seven of the open-plan luxury suites feel more like loft apartments than standard hotel rooms. All suites are minimum 50 square meters and designed with various accessories and equipment for ultimate pleasure. Gatrium Brand Design team worked on developing a very well defined unique business model for the brand before design phase, and every detail is considered to reflect the ultimate sense of luxury accommodation. 

The VIP opening event will be on November 7th, hosting business executives, lifestyle magazine editors, artists and faces of high society.

Minimalism as the New Purity

Minimalism is a field of design associated with lifestyle, be it architecture, interiors or fashion, which in its purest form should apply to all aspects of the practitioner's life. "To be unaffected by the unnecessary or the chaotic, or to be ' so disciplined and immerse yourself in a beautifully simplistic state is hard to execute in today's society," says Rob Phillips in Harriet Walker's interview.

New Minimalists: a sect of young talent, who saw the impact of design purity during the late 1980s and early 1990s understood that the economic principles tightening our belts and purse-strings might also be the ones governing our wardrobes. "Minimalism is more relevant than ever," continues Rob Phillips, creative director of the school of design at London College of Fashion, "and on so many levels: environmentally and stylishly. A non-definable outfit has more longevity than a seasonal trend. If you define yourself as a minimalist in the fashion sense, you could go through decades wearing the same thing, looking great. Though," he adds cautiously, "if we all did that, well... bang goes the whole fashion business."

How does simple differ from minimalist? Are they totally two different concepts? When you simplify your life, you’re cutting back on the complexity of what you do and what you own. Minimalism is about the same things. Each concept is really a striking back against the growing complexity of the modern world, against consumerism, against the mindset that we need to buy to solve our problems, that we need more and bigger. So in the millennium era of complexity, how is minimalism different? It’s basically an extension of simplicity - not only do you take things from complex to simple, but you try to get rid of anything that’s unnecessary. All but the essential.