Smart Living & Cloud

Imagine your laptop and all of your mobile devices being in sync all the time. Imagine being able to access all of your personal data at any given moment. Imagine having the ability to organize and mine data from any online source. Imagine being able to share that data - photos, movies, contacts, e-mail, documents - with your friends, family, and coworkers in an instant. This is what personal cloud computing promises to deliver.

Whether you realize it or not, you're probably already using cloud-based services. Pretty much everyone with a computer has been. Gmail and Google Docs are two prime examples; we just don't think of those services in those terms. In essence, personal cloud computing means having every piece of data you need for every aspect of your life at your fingertips and ready for use. Data must be mobile, transferable, and instantly accessible. The key to enabling the portable and interactive you is the ability to synch up your data among your devices, as well as access to shared data.

Ultimately, your personal cloud which includes everything from your address book and music collection to your reports and documents for work will connect to the public cloud and other personal clouds. Everything connects. That means every place on the Internet you interact with, as well as every person you interact with can be connected. This includes your social networks, bank, university, workplace, family, friends and more. Of course, you will determine what you show the public and what you keep private. Clusters of personal clouds will form new social networks that will likely have a lot more privacy settings than Facebook, especially if these clusters are family or business oriented. Privacy will be a huge issue as personal clouds hit critical mass.

Eventually, in the smart living era, your devices will learn about you and eventually intuit what you are doing, where you are going, and what you intend to do when you get there. This might all sound a bit like science fiction, but this is exactly where we're headed with cloud computing. We're not quite there yet, though. We're all still creating our personal clouds.

The Last Sitting

In 1962, photographer Bert Stern shot a series of photos of Marilyn Monroe for Vogue magazine that have collectively come to be known as The Last Sitting. Taken during several boozy sessions in Suite 261 at the Hotel Bel-Air in June, photographs are arguably the most famous images ever captured of Monroe, sleepy-eyed and naked, sips from a Champagne glass, enacts a fan dance of sorts with various diaphanous scarves, romps with erotic playfulness on a bed of white linens.

The three-day session yielded nearly 2,600 pictures - fashion, portrait, and nude studies - of indescribable sensual and human vibrancy, of which no more than 20 were published. And yet these few photographs ineradicably shaped our image of Marilyn Monroe. The complete collection of photographs is displayed within the book Marilyn Monroe: The Complete Last Sitting. Showing many of the photographs that were never released and an insight of Bert Stern’s memories of the sitting where he saw a vulnerable, confused woman who although at the apex of her career, had relinquished control of her life.

Six weeks after she had posed for Stern, Monroe was found dead of an apparent barbiturate overdose. The Last Sitting produced extraordinarily beautiful and unique images of Marilyn.

Culinary Explorations

A very niche area for those who are really into traveling around the globe is local cuisine and high quality wine. From adventure seekers to romantic destination travelers, variety of options along with an authentic presentation of the food in its own traditional way sounds exciting; and yet adds value to your vacation by transforming it into a journey experience.

Spain…on the road Again is an American food and travel series produced by PBS. The show features Iron Chef Mario Batali, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman, and Spanish actress Claudia Bassols. Each episode covers a different region of Spain as the foursome explore the country's culinary traditions and history. What I like most about the show is that it is not focused on a specific subject as many of the similar shows do. It takes the city (or an area) as its base point and reflects every aspect that makes that spot special in an explorer mindset.

Among the various food and travel shows that I like comes No Reservations featuring top chef Anthony Bourdain. As he continues to explore every corner of the globe on his Emmy Award winning Travel Channel series, Anthony Bourdain encounters the weird, wild and downright outrageous personalities and places that help define the international cultural landscape.

Communication Strategy via Art & Design

Art can be described as the expression or application of unique creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form to be appreciated primarily for its beauty or emotional power. The ability to communicate ideas in original and innovative ways is essential for all art, craft and design professionals. In the digital era we are in, potential audiences are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about the different forms of communication. And there's a constant need for distinctive and seductive creativity to take attention of target audience.

Communicating different meanings and messages through manipulation of formal elements is the new form of advertising in today's market. So it is a vital point for future brands to differentiate the way they encode their messages as well as the medium through which we receive messages from numerous sources of information. I believe that art in that pure sense is an untouched method of expression that brands haven't discovered as a way of communication. The Artwork Project that I conducted for a huge holding firm in Istanbul last year was exactly aiming this kind of interaction with the brand's potential audience. Expressing the main cause and motive of the business along with the benefits attached to the product or service in the form of art achieved a certain and structured perception in consumers' minds. And yet, an empathy is formed to the brand and its reason of existence. This objective also lies in the heart of many successful Corporate Responsibility (CR) projects.

Art is no longer a subject of discussion among a very small group of intellectuals, and has become an agenda of the public. Thus your audience.

Work of Art: Season 2

One of my recent favorite shows on HDTV is Work of Art: The Next Great Artist. Bravo’s latest stroke on the reality canvas brings Sarah Jessica Parker and her production company, Pretty Matches, together with the Emmy-nominated Magical Elves (Top Chef, Project Runway) and Eli Holzman, to produce Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, an hour long creative competition series among contemporary artists. Work of Art: The Next Great Artist brings together fourteen aspiring artists to compete for a solo show at the prestigious Brooklyn Museum and a generous cash prize.

Hosting this colorful new series is art enthusiast China Chow. She serves on the judging panel alongside art luminaries Bill Powers, a New York Gallery owner and literary art contributor, Jerry Saltz, current art critic for New York Magazine, and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, esteemed curator and owner of Salon94 gallery. World-renowned art auctioneer Simon de Pury adds his voice of experience as a mentor to the contestants.

In each episode, contestants are faced with the challenge of creating unique pieces in a variety of mediums such as painting, sculpture, photography, collage and industrial design. The weekly assignments are exciting, original and will challenge the artists' to push the limits of their technical skills and creative boundaries. Completed works of art are appraised by the panel of top art world figures alongside a new celebrated guest judge every week. Through a gallery showing at the end of each challenge, these industry select dictate which artists have successfully mastered the subject matter and creation of their piece, as well as whose concept leaves the greatest impact.

Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, is produced by Pretty Matches and Magical Elves for Bravo. Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alison Benson and Eli Holzman serve as executive producers.

Premium Marketing Communication

Premium brands distinguish themselves from the competition not only in their products, but also in the way they communicate with their customers. Brands like Gucci, Bentley, Swarovski, Centurion Black or Shiseido do not only offer premium commodities or services, but they also offer a lifestyle that surrounds it.

Knowing your customers, especially those who have enough positive dispositions towards your brand to give you permission to contact them directly, is essential in building a premium brand. If you can’t be relevant, then why bother? Consumers of premium segment do not have the time and will to go through long stated campaigns or product offers. As a high contributor to the brands they use, they want to be known as an individual by their brands in return and treated differently from masses. Their individual hobbies, lifestyle preferences and everything that surrounds that lifestyle should carefully be analyzed and used by the brand to make each communication opportunity meaningful and beneficial.

There has to be some sort of strategic plan and knowledge of the individual consumer in place. If the powerhouse of social marketing hasn’t proven this already, each consumer wants to have a unique voice, and needs to be marketed to independently.

So, the question to be asked is: do you manage your information to keep things personal for your consumers? Or, are you just creating opportunities for them to opt-out of engaging with your brand?

Eclipse

Love it or hate it, there's no escaping the fact that Eclipse is already one of the most anticipated movies of the year, and may become one of the most successful, as well. The story is very well fictionalized with symbolic expressions and reflects this mythical world in a lyrical yet impressive way.

The visuals on the book cover symbolize the meaning of each episode as well. Twilight is an apple; a new beginning of love. It represents the forbidden fruit; Bella and Edward's forbidden love. New moon is a bleeding flower; where Bella bleeds from pain from Edward leaving her. Eclipse is a ribbon torn; Bella is torn in the decision to choose Jacob or Edward. Breaking Dawn is a game of Chess; Edward, (the queen) protecting Bella (the pawn) as a newborn. It represents her transformation from human to vampire. Eclipse will be in theaters in July.

Artwork Project 2010

Artwork Project 2010
On the construction site

It has been an unbelievable journey working with these 8 distinctive artists, everyone of each is specialized in different areas of design, on a very controversial yet simple concept: risk & trust. Two contradictory polars, or feelings mostly we ignore. Throughout the production phase, I've had the opportunity to get to know these gifted artists closer. During planning the details of the project, I always had a behind-the-scenes footage idea that would add value to this unique piece of work we've done. We visited the artists in their own production spots. For industrial designers, these were urban ateliers. It was a unique opportunity for me to visit various types of ateliers, and meet some extraordinary people working behind with the artists to turn a dream into reality.

For Bennu, for instance, it was an outdoor area. We drove 2 hours with her team to the spot where we would take one-shot piece. At the end of the day, we had a magnificent frame which will be presented in Kanyon next week. Han Tümertekin's construction work is also unique for its interactivity as it takes its audience 'inside' and gives the opportunity to interact with the artwork itself directly.

Although the artworks by each artist are in different forms, they reflect a synergy that surrounds the spirit of the whole project. Works of Aziz Sarıyer, Han Tümertekin and Bihrat Mavitan will be exhibited in different locations surrounding the city; while art installations by Derin Sarıyer, Bennu Gerede, Oytun Berktan, Ela Cindoruk and Tan Mavitan will be in Kanyon. Aziz Sarıyer surprised me once again by using such abstract forms and reflect a salient expression.

I believe that when the artworks meet the audience, they will make them question what risk and trust really mean in their lives. Exhibition will be all over the city, but the art installations by Bennu, Derin, Oytun, Ela and Tan will be exhibited in Kanyon between March 25 to May 25.

I can't wait to see all of the artists together in the press conference on March 30th, where they will meet the press about this project for the first time.

Aziz Sarıyer

There are people who make you feel as if you are blessed just to have a few words with them, and be enlightened by their wisdom and style. Mr. Aziz Sarıyer is definetly one of them. He was the first name we had on mind when we decided to construct the "Artwork Project". He was so generous on helping us as a consultant all through the planning stages. His amazing piece of work will be exhibited in Sabanci Holding.

Han Tumertekin

Han Tumertekin is one of the iconic architects that I have been inspired by for many years. I feel so privileged to work with him in this project, and his piece is spectacular. His design approach and reflection of risk & trust concept is so compelling that I believe his work will be one of the most talked about urban art installations of recent years. Han Tumertekin's phenomenal success is acclaimed by the world and I can't wait to see his artwork in the heart of the city.

Bennu Gerede

What can I say about Bennu? :) She's simply gorgeous! I knew her long before this project, but we didn't have the chance to work together until now. When I first told her about the project and our vision on creating awareness about "risk" in society, she sounded so excited to be a part of the project. Her piece is stunning (once again) and I'm so glad she accepted to be a part of this adventure.

Thank you sooo much for being there!

Derin Sarıyer

Derin Sarıyer has been one of the few designers whom I admire. His distinct taste and design point of view have been acclaimed not only in Turkey, but also in Europe. It was a unique chance for me to work with this talented gentleman in this project.

I can't wait to exhibit his piece in Kanyon, Istanbul.

Oytun Berktan

I met Oytun in December via Roman Goetsch's recommendation while I was looking for an out-of-the-line type of architect for the reconstruction project for a client of mine. As I got to know him and his art more, he became one of the first names I had in mind while planning the "Artwork Project". He has a great talent and the ability to reflect his inner vision in distinctive forms. I feel lucky to have him in my life. I believe his unique piece of art installation will inspire many and redefine the "risk and trust" concept.

Moodboard: Presenting a concept

There must be times when you feel that you have a great idea for a particular brand you use, the café you enjoy your favorite frappacino at, or the organization you work for. But it's always the hardest part to conduct your floating thoughts into an organized code, in other words, concept.

Brand strategy always includes a concept behind it. The colors to be used in all communication forms when the brand interacts with consumers, the typography engaged in every printed/online document handled, or the display units where the products are displayed. Concept is all about - and above - the visual coding of a brand. Lifestyle and the reflection that we - the strategists/designers - desire to empose within that coding should be the output of a unique concept.

So, how can you conduct all these codes into one organized frame? The answer is the Moodboard. A moodboard is the visual outcome of your strategy and ideas. It reflects the sense of the world or concept that you are dreaming to bring to life. Ruling colors, lifestyle visuals, typography and some quotes that describe the feeling of being there are the main variables of an effective Moodboard. I mainly use a moodboard before I start designing my client's brand identity. Before planning the moodboard, I collect all the necessary and strategic information I need that will feed me about the product, the market, existing and potential customers, competitors, where the brand instantly stands and where the brand's owner desires the brand to be. With these inputs in hand, I start to form the strategy that would distinguish my brand from any other brand in the same category or the market.

The next step is the positioning of the brand. In the light of these, I start to form the visual codes that create the brand. This phase takes the most time among others, as combining the strategy with the right look is a very painful process - lots of try and switch attempts until the wee hours of the morning. The minute you feel you have caught the right combination is the point when you feel high. And there you have your idea ready, brought to life in a visual manner.