Interview With Baran Akalin From Turkey

First, I was thinking about car design because of my interest in motor vehicles. As a result of the research I have done over time, I have seen that the design of cars is not what it seems from the outside, as certain brands cannot go beyond certain lines and the design is restricted. In addition to that, the car design team consists of many people and it is not possible to complete the design of a car alone. Because of my love for creating living spaces, I chose to design boats that offer free design experience to different brands.

I've established my design studio, Akalin Yacht Design International in 2015. We create the interior and exterior designs of all yachts, houseboats and similar floating vehicles from 5 meters to 80 meters, as well as their production projects and controllership. We have our 2nd branch in Biliśim Valley, which carries out innovative projects in our country. Here we are developing different projects that have never been done before.

Design is creating something from scratch and to force production techniques and pave the way for new generation designs.

Design is to catch today's trends visually, while producing the best possible solution against need and purpose.

Good design is the perfect combination between functionality and aesthetics. Because creativity deserves it.

My design style is modern pure and elegant. And also, to develop new user experiences and ensure perfect connectivity.

In boats, it usually starts from a 2D side profile and top view. More than 3 different design models are presented to the client, usually all of them are mixed with each other. After that, general arrangements will be applied to the selected design. Then, 3D models and visuals will be created. After these are completed and approved, the production project starts and will be delivered to the client/builder.

I think the location of the country and the market can affect my designs, but I do not think that cultural heritage has anything to do with them.

This award means a lot to me. Not only does it show how high the quality of the work we do on behalf of our company and our client is, but it also shows the work that connects us to the world not within the borders of the country. I'm very happy with the result.

Because this project has the most functional features among her equivalents. She has also created a perfect combination of these features from an aesthetic point of view. I wanted this design to find the value she deserves.

The biggest challenge was to combine many features found in larger boats to fit in a smaller boat. And while doing it, the hardest part was not to lose any functionality of the usage areas.

I can say that it plays a big role in determining the reliability of our company in the sector and the degree of goodness of the designs. It was also an honor for us to bring such an award to our country.

1. There is a wide variety of brands and these brands need new models every period.

2. Due to the wealthier clients, the budgets in designs are higher than in other sectors.

3. The clients are modern and visionary.

The fact that our country is surrounded by seas on 3 sides and it is one of the first three countries in the world that produces the most boats in this sector.

As people understand the value of spending time in private areas during the pandemic situation, we expect an increase in the number of producers in our sector in the next 5-10 years.

Creativity and learning to shape it according to people's needs.

While designing, I'm inspired by very different products instead of being inspired by similar products as everyone else does.

Daniel Simon inspired me a lot, because he has a different vision with a good balance.

Key to success is, understanding your clients’ needs and being on the same page.