We recently connected with Ozan Karakoc and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Ozan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
‘Risk’ is a powerful word. It’s intense and intimidating. It embodies both the potential for failure and the promise of reward. Therefore, almost all risk-related stories are like a thrill ride, even for the readers.
I’ve taken two major risks in my life so far, and they completely transformed my life for the better!
I lived the first 25 years of my life in my home country, Turkey, in the city of Istanbul. I did my very first commercial design work when I was 16, pursued a degree in graphic arts, earned a Master’s Degree, launched web projects, received multiple awards, and even found myself featured on TV shows, in newspapers, magazines, and more. At an early age, I had established a strong reputation, attracting clients both domestically and internationally while still in university.
To graduate, I needed to intern at an agency for three months. So I applied to the top one that everybody was talking about at the time. I got accepted and started. My aim was to show my creative skills, prove myself, and rise to a position where the executives would insist I stay on, saying ‘Ozan, your chair is reserved here. Finish your school and start with us immediately’. From there, I would become a full-time designer, get promoted to the art director position, eventually become a creative director and potentially a partner in the agency. My ten-year plan was set on stone, or so I thought…
Well, it didn’t go that way.
The agency, that I had once idealized, quickly turned into a source of disappointment. From outside, it was the coolest place to work at. Inside, though, it was a scene of utter chaos. Design and creativity had the least priority there. Mediocrity had become the standard. It was all about saving the day, and fulfilling even the absolutely impossible tasks clients were continuously asking for. More importantly, every single person was incredibly stressed out. A creative director locked themselves in the bathroom and loudly sobbed, while an executive threw pens to the walls as they wouldn’t write well. Those kinds of scenes were completely normal at the agency.
I got used to it, and did a lot of work, but at the end of my internship period, I was completely disappointed and overwhelmed. I promised myself not to work there again, not even to drive by that building for some time. At my last day, I went to the legal department and got my internship documents signed and sealed. Then I went upstairs to say goodbye.
One of the executives approached to me and said ‘Ozan, your chair is reserved here. Finish your school and start with us immediately. We’re looking forward to it!’. I smiled, politely thanked and left.
That was the very moment I decided to move abroad and continue my career in the United States.
Two years later, I finished my thesis for the Master’s Degree, got married, and three days after the wedding, flew to Los Angeles with my wife to embark on a new journey.
The agency I would work in LA was ready for me, but I had no relatives or friends in the city. Our first ‘official’ day as a married couple felt like two astronauts skipping on the moon.
Taking that risk turned out to be the best decision we ever made.
Then we settled in LA, and I worked at that agency for 5 years. Then I moved to its sister agency, at the same building, and became a partner there. Finally, in 2015, I took another major risk, quit my job and started my own design business with no clients, no network, and no business partner.
And yes, that turned out great as well.
Eight years have passed and it’s consistently getting better. I’ve had the privilege of serving numerous clients, including some of the world’s most renowned brands such as Google, Toyota, Sony Pictures, Netflix, Expedia and more, along with visionary start-ups and purpose-driven small businesses.
With the first risk I took, I expanded my horizon, had the chance to work with the world’s biggest production companies, learned more skills instead of getting stuck in meaningless debates and provided a better life for my wife (and later, my son).
With the second risk I took, I earned my freedom back. The freedom to work with the people I choose, for the brands I like, and with the terms I set. I also earned much more free time to spend with my family, which became extremely important after we became three with the arrival of a little boy.
When you don’t take a risk, life goes like version 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 and you never reach 2.0. Not anybody (including myself) has to have the courage or ambition to go all the way and see what happens in v25, but we must admit that life is too short to stick in version one.
Ozan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do? How did your design journey begin?
Design has always been the priority in my life. I used to make newspapers when I was in Kindergarten. I was obsessed in shapes and colors, I knew all country flags, was able to draw badges of soccer teams from memory, etc.
I was surrounded with artists. My dad is an illustrator, my mom used to be a graphic designer before I was born, one of my uncles is a 3D artist, another one is an architect, my sister later became a photographer… So I was destined to become a visual person.
I officially started my design career when I was 16, and my first paid project was a brand identity for a construction company. Then I designed their website as well. Since then, I never thought of doing something else. Instead, I created every single day, and focused on sharpening my skills.
I worked as a freelancer between 1999 and 2008, and then moved to Los Angeles to start working for one of the leading motion picture advertising agencies in the country, Iconisus L&Y. After designing over 5,000 movie and TV show posters there, I moved to its sister agency, I Mean It, as an executive creative director. It was focused more on branding and traditional advertising, which I have done for almost a decade before moving to LA.
Since 2015, I’ve been running my own creative house, Ozan Karakoc Design Studio. Together, with my extremely talented brand strategist partner Gunter Soydanbay, we help brands unlock their true potential with the power of strategy and design.
As a full-service agency, we create almost all types of work a brand may need, including brand identities, packaging, websites, mobile apps, brochures, posters, books, social media graphics, and more.
Our offices are located in Los Angeles, California and Brussels, Belgium.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think what helped most is in my personality. I’m an extremely responsible and caring person, both in my personal life and business career. I have never missed a deadline, and never forgotten a promise I made. That puts me in a different position in the client-designer relationship. I’m not another contractor who does the job, sends the invoice and disappear. I genuinely care about what I do, not only to make sure my client is satisfied, but I also do it for myself. And I do it for the sake of my profession because I respect is as much as I respect my clients.
I call this approach ‘design partnership’. Once a new client experiences that, they always come back and tend to recommend me to other people. Even if they change industries and our professions don’t align anymore, we don’t lose contact. We keep in touch, ask about each other’s families, new assignments, etc. It’s not a forced relationship that you continue hoping to have another project in the future. It’s an organic, warm relationship. And I think that’s invaluable.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
I believe it’s crucial to always remember that your team members are individuals with their own lives, interests, and needs. They’re not just cogs in a machine. Leaders who keep this in mind tend to have an easier time managing teams and maintaining morale.
While performance issues may arise, taking preventive measures through genuine care and open communication can often mitigate these challenges. It’s important to strike a balance between empathy and accountability.
While earning a living is a result of the work we do, the ultimate goal is happiness. A person who genuinely enjoys their work environment and aligns with the company’s values is likely to be happier than someone who may earn more but is unhappy in their role.
In practice, this could mean actively checking in with team members, offering opportunities for professional growth, and creating a supportive work culture where everyone feels valued and heard.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ozankarakoc.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ozan_karakoc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ozankarakocdesign
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozankarakoc/
- Other: https://www.behance.net/ozankarakoc