How was your University time?
I consider my college years my most creative period. I learned a lot of different techniques and practices during these years. I’ve been following graphic designers and video experts living in Europe through Youtube. I already started using cameras and drawing pictures from the age of 5. My background in the profession began at an early age. Naturally, you focus on work with a strong design feeling. You can create touchpoints that most designers can’t see. The best job of my university years is the promotional film I prepared for Giresun University in 2018. I reinforced my desire to go to the next level in terms of Video editing with this film. I also had a successful internship period at TRT Documentary Channel in 2017. I was the only intern to score 100 points.
Why did you choose a career in this field?
I think the area where I can express myself best is graphic design and video editing. Everyone has their form of expression. Mine was a visual design. I had the advantage of noticing it at a very young age. Most importantly, I love this job, and I always try to do my best.
What was your first job or nuggets from jobs you had that helped you get to where you are today?
It’s Galatasaray that got me to where I am today. Football in Turkey is a great passion, and I am a great Galatasaray fan. In my high school years, I took images of Galatasaray’s Champions League matches and created little stories in my way, edited them, and synchronized them with the music. This later became highly publicized on social media. After the Video part, I had the opportunity to understand graphic design during my college years better. Because I was a student in the Department of radio, television, and film, our art classes were too many. Although I had been acquainted with graphic design before, I gained an entirely different perspective in my college years. I started preparing social media posts for Galatasaray’s match days. Around me, these designs I made were very appreciated and appreciated. For this reason, I have prepared many designs, most of them football and sports. One of the most important factors that brought me to this day is Galatasaray.
How did you prepare for the interview?
It was a complicated process for me to prepare for the first interview. If you are doing this kind of profession in Turkey, it is a little difficult to understand. Things work differently in Turkey. Graphic design is one of the occupations whose value is not yet understood. Before I started my first job at Venus agency, I was a waitress at a beach club. When I got back from work in the evening, I worked on my computer to do the work that was my passion, and I had a little Instagram account. I was sharing my designs on that account. My family and environment didn’t think it was logical at; first they tried to direct me to professions that would make more money, but I had already decided, and I was going to do the job that was my passion. After a tough waitressing job, an agency finally wanted to meet me. I have prepared and sent a portfolio with all the designs I have made up to that day. They loved my work and told me to help them with Graphic Design. And I took it with love. Don’t make excuses in the face of difficulties and do the job you love.
Can you provide some book recommendations?
Perhaps it would be strange to suggest a literary book as a designer. But I think these literary works will give a person a different perspective.
Which is tо ѕау, they create рrоgrаmѕ that аllоw wеb раgеѕ tо dо things аt a high lеvеl of intеrасtivitу. If уоu wаnt tо, fоr еxаmрlе, build a bоt to create an automatic payment system fоr your сliеntѕ, уоu’ll рrоbаblу uѕе one оf thеѕе. Thеу’rе grеаt programs tо lеаrn tо wоrk with bесаuѕе thеу аrе extraordinarily vеrѕаtilе аnd thеrе is a lоt оf extant соdе fоr you оn thе wеb tо bеgin playing with this.
- Turgenev – Fathers and Sons
- Yuval Noah Harari – Sapiens
- Ray Bradbury – Fahrenheit 451
- George Orwell – 1984 / Animal Farm
Things are changing very fast in the industry; how do you keep yourself updated. Please list techniques or newsletters, podcasts, events, etc.
First, you need to read a lot; this is the basis of creative work. A designer must have intellectual knowledge. I keep myself up to date with various magazines, books, and websites that put creative work at the forefront. My favorite website is Adobe Behance.
Advice for someone looking for a graphic design and video editing job?
My most vital advice for job seekers is not to give up the profession they love, no matter what. They need to keep themselves up to date and always motivate themselves to do the best job.
Why do you think you were selected among other candidates?
I think I was chosen because of my multi-visual ability. My ability to do both video, graphics, and a variety of print jobs, in addition to dominating most Adobe applications, and my ability to use photography and cameras, are the most significant factors.
Short Bio
Hello. I’m Tugay Kocatürk. I’m an expert in graphic design and video editing. I completed my undergraduate education in the Radio, Television and Film Department of Giresun University. In 2014, I won a short film competition held throughout Turkey. In 2017, I had a successful internship period at TRT Documentary Channel. You can check my portfolio here.
