Maybe Design Biography
Maybe Design comprises the designers Erdem Akan, BoÄ?aç Å?imÅ?ir, Bora Akçay and Susanne Akçay, who work in Istanbul and Vienna.
Erdem Akan researches and designs contemporary products with Middle Eastern flavor.
Born in Istanbul, Erdem Akan pursued his studies there and graduated from the Bosporus University with a BSc. degree in Mechanical Engineering. A British Council Chevening scholarship and his desire for creativity brought him to University of Salford in Manchester, where he received his Masters in Industrial Design, followed by a degree with the Design Culture and Management Program in Istanbul Bilgi University in cooperation with Domus Academy Milan.
From 1996 to 2001 he undertook several design and coordination activities for commercial vehicle projects at Ford Motor Company Design Studios in Istanbul (Turkey), Dunton (England) and Dearborn (United States). From 2001 to 2004 at Decorum Inc. (Istanbul), Erdem enjoyed the diversity of projects ? from home accessories design to design management- and the chance to work with design masters ? Ron Arad, Karim Rashid, Denis Santachiara and Tom Dixon.
Since 2004, he has worked with his partners BoÄ?aç Å?imÅ?ir, Bora Akçay and Susanne Akçay in Istanbul and Vienna as part of the Maybe Design studio, in various fields from art to engineering, from product design to architecture.
Just like his home, Istanbul, where thoroughly modern ideas and traditional practices exist side-by-side Erdem?s design philosophy is based on the tension between all opposites: such as, fabricated vs. hand-made; natural vs. artificial and new vs. old, and especially Eastern Western culture. For him, design should strive to balance or amplify this tension.
Erdem promotes Turkish Design by giving lectures, workshops and seminars at various universities, while organizing design exhibitions at various art galleries around the world.
