About

A visual communication designer working mainly on social posters, branding, editorial design, an exlibris artist, as well as a design educator at Sakarya University since 2012.

Received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Uludag University, doctor of fine arts from Hacettepe University. My works have been exhibited at global design events such as the Golden Bee Global Biennale of Graphic Design, Shanghai Biennial of Asia Graphic Design, Ecuador Poster Biennial, Warsaw Poster Biennial, MadridGráfica, and ex-libris events held in Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, China, etc.

As part of my research into vernacular typography, I've studied the local letterforms in the Turkish cities of Bursa and Sakarya and the sign painters who made them. I am also a writer and an editor publishing the monthly newsletter of the Turkish Typography Society since 2019.

➚ contact[at]muraterturk.com

Detailed CV

Publications

➚ A sign painter in the triangle of Lüleburgaz, Fethiye and Bursa: Abdullah Cankurtaran [soon]

➚ The sign painters of Sakarya: Cemalettin Vural and the Pilicci family

➚ The sign painters of Bursa

➚ Third eye in evaluation processes of visual communication design education: An artificial intelligence model

➚ From folk painting to graphic design: Numan Balıca and his apprentices in Adapazarı

➚ Basic approaches in visual communication design education: Specialism and generalism

➚ The car painter of Bursa: Enver Ertaban

➚ Vernacular as a design approach in visual communication design

➚ New generation digital reading experience and future of e-book

➚ The sign painter of Sakarya: Enver Yücebalkan

➚ Aesthetic experience in visual communication design and the importance of first attraction

➚ Ethic and its education in visual communication design through the concept of responsibility

➚ On the education of typography in Turkey

➚ From graphic arts to communication design: The state of visual communication design departments

Book Chapters Published

➚ Durmaz, Ö. & Ertürk, M. (2025). Gülümser Aral Üretmen: One of The Pioneer of Female Graphic Designers in Turkey. E. Resnick (Ed.), Women Graphic Designers: Rebalancing the Canon. Bloomsbury Publishing.

➚ Experimental Typography (2023). S. Selamet (Ed.), Advanced Typography (pp. 30–59). Eskisehir: Anadolu University Press.

➚ Vernacular Typography (2023). S. Selamet (Ed.), Advanced Typography (pp. 224–243). Eskisehir: Anadolu University Press.

Other Articles, Interviews and Translations

2024 — The role of women in the type design

2024 — On vernacular typography

2024 — Interview with İbrahim Kaçtıoğlu

2024 — The awareness of diacritics

2024 — Typefaces that defy gender discrimination

2024 — Monopolisation in the type industry

2023 — Enver Yücebalkan: Signs of the Silver Screens, Issue 03 of BLAG (Better Letters Magazine)

2023 — Typographic mistakes with the examples Part 2

2022 — Interview with Murathan Biliktu

2022 — On the meeting of Turkish painter Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu with the car painter

2022 — On the friendship of a car painter with the Turkish painter Abidin Dino in Istanbul in the 1940s

2020 — Interview with Cem Eskinazi

2020 — Interview with Erkin Karamemet

2020 — Typographic mistakes with the examples Part 1

2019 — Fundamentals of typography: Using dashes correctly

2019 — Abstract: The Art of Design documentary and our great terminology helplessness

2019 — Interview with Efecan Serin

2019 — The future of typography [Translation]

2018 — On poster. '33 Posters, 2 Questions, 44 Answers', Manifold

Featured Publications and Interviews

2023 — Projector Magazine, No 39, St. Petersburg

2017 — Contemporary International Exlibris Artists, Portugal

Exhibitions

2024 — 16th Golden Bee Global Biennale of Graphic Design. Russia.

2024 — International Competition of 'Exlibris for Peace' within the XL International FISAE Congress in Palma de Mallorca. Spain.

2024 — Luga Poster Biennale. Portugal

2024 — 12th International Eco-Poster Triennial 'The 4th Block'. Ukraine

2022 — 13th International Competition for Exlibris Gliwice. Poland

2022 — 5th International Exlibris Competition. Istanbul

2022 — 14th International Anadolu Calligraphy and Typography Event. Eskisehir

2021 — 10th International Triennial of Graphic Art Bitola. North Macedonia

2020 — MadridGráfica20 International Graphic Design Events. Spain

2020 — Ecuador Poster Biennial

2020 — International Exlibris Competition 'Spirit'. Poland

2018 — Ecuador Poster Biennial

2018 — 12th International Competition for Exlibris Gliwice. Poland

2018 — MadridGráfica18 International Graphic Design Events. Spain

2018 — 9th International Exlibris and Small Graphic Art Competition. Poland

2018 — The Seattle Istanbul Poster Show. USA

2017 — 4th Shanghai Biennial of Asia Graphic Design. China

2017 — 7th Contratalla International Biennial of Exlibris. Spain

2017 — XIII International Ex Libris Competition: Ex Libris-Ex Libertas. Bulgaria

2017 — MadridGráfica17 International Graphic Design Events. Spain

2017 — 2nd International Organ Donation Poster Competition. Switzerland

2016 — The Seattle-Istanbul Poster Show. Turkey

2016 — Moscow Global Biennale of Graphic Design Golden Bee 12. Russia

2016 — 8th International Exlibris and Small Graphic Forms Competition. Poland

2016 — 11th International Graphic Competition for Exlibris Gliwice. Poland

2015 — International Trnava Poster Triennial. Slovak Republic.

2015 — First International Festival of School of Art and Design (FISAD). Italy

2014 — Moscow Global Biennale of Graphic Design Golden Bee 11. Russia

2014 — 24th International Poster Biennial Warsaw. Poland

2012 — International Trnava Poster Triennial. Slovak Republic

2012 — 7th International Triennial of Graphic Art Bitola. Macedonia

2012 — 2nd Guangzhou International Exlibris and Mini-Prints Biennial. China

2012 — 9th International Graphic Competition for Exlibris. Poland

2011 — The 5th Shanghai Fu Xian Zhai International Exlibris Invitational Exhibition. China

2011 — 5th International Exlibris and Small Graphic Forms Competition Men-Earth-Universe. Gdańsk, Poland

2010 — 12th International Mail Art Exhibition Portrait. Alba, Romania

2009 — 6th International Triennial of Graphic Art Bitola. Bitola, Macedonia

2008 — 4th Contratalla International Biennial of Exlibris. Tarragona, Spain

2007 — 9th International Mail Art Exhibition People and Culture. Alba, Romania

Awards and Accolades

2021 — Honorable Mention at the International Dervish Yunus Emre Exlibris Competition

2020 — Finalist at Ecuador Poster Biennial

2020 — Finalist (Top 60) at Uruguay Poster Festival

2020 — Honorable Mention at the International Exlibris Competition in Cyprus and Poland

2019 — Achievement Award at Sakarya University

2018 — Silver Award at Ecuador Poster Biennial

2018 — Finalist (Top 100) at MadridGráfica18 International Graphic Design Events. Spain

2017 — Finalist (Top 100) at MadridGráfica17 International Graphic Design Events. Spain

2017 — Finalist (Top 100) at the 2nd International Organ Donation Poster Competition. Switzerland

2015 — Finalist at International Trnava Poster Triennial. Slovak Republic

2012 — Finalist (Top 20) at Utilita Manifesta 2012 Design Contest: Energy For All. Italy

2012 — Excellent Exlibris at the 2nd Guangzhou International Exlibris and Mini-Prints Biennial. China

2011 — Honorable Mention at the International Rauf Denktaş Exlibris Competition. Cyprus

2011 — Second Award at the 5th International Exlibris and Small Graphic Forms Competition. Poland

2009 — First Award at the 4th May Day Poster Competition. Istanbul