Marrakesh Casablanca – Ahmet Bilal Arslan Photograher
“I’ve been going to Morocco since 2006 and my most interesting experience there was seeing the east of the Atlas Mountains. Unlike the ever popular Marrakesh and Casablanca, this area is still waiting to be explored in all its mystery. ”
Opening onto the Atlantic, the Caves of Hercules at Tangier bring to mind the map of Africa. It was at exactly this point that the Hercules of legend is said to have separated Africa from the European continent by creating the Strait of Gibraltar.
Built over the Atlantic Ocean at Casablanca, the Mosque of King Hassan II is considered the second largest in the world. Its 210-meter Maghreb-style minaret is an Islamic monument well worth seeing.
Recipient of long string of the world`s most prestigious industrial design awards, Dr. Hakan Gursu accesses the future of design and consumers` changing expectations.
Serdar Turan & Ahmet Bilal Arslan
What in your view is product design?
In the simplest terms, every act of designing is the art of solving a rational and aesthetic problem. To put it another way, I would define design, to which innovation has also been added in recent years, as an extraordinary problem-solving skill based on our existing system of values (science/technology). I should also add that it is essential that products be designed so as to create value added, to be environmentally sensitive and to make human life easier. Design is a profession that offers a rich array of alternatives to those who take pleasure in details
How do you view the current state of industrial design?
We can see that all the systems used to bring out the technological products on which we are becoming increasingly dependent are becoming more and more alike and that inter-product competition is confined to price range and after-sale service. To a large extent, product design is the factor that differentiates brands, and we see that the ability to design innovative and valuable products is gradually assuming more importance.
What are the dynamics behind the recent rise in industrial design?
The impact of a normal design process on total production cost is only about 5%, but its measurable effect on the market value of the product can go as high as 70%. This is understood by the broad masses of people, which, I believe, enhances the belief and desire that new products should undergo a process of total design.
