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It's OK

It's OK

Ozan Karakoc
August 2, 2016
1 Comment

It's OK is a booklet that I've created for brand owners who are having issues with their brands. Focusing on 15 most common situations, concerns and problems, the book gives hints about how to overcome them with the power of strategic branding and design. It also has inspirational quotes from great people and a brief information about my studio, Ozan Karakoc Design Studio, Inc.



With the rapid development in technology, production is becoming easier and easier everyday. A simple website created by a teenager can now be worth incomparably more than a huge multinational airline company. Or you don't need to be the richest person in the world to be able to produce your own car. Everything is much more approachable, communication is extremely fast and thanks to crowd-funding, even finding money for your idea is as easy as 1-2-3 (if it's a really good idea).

Yes, starting and managing a business is way easier today, when compared to the old times, but competition is equally wilder and differentiation is significantly more difficult. Yesterday, 100 more companies were doing what you do. Today, it is 1,000. Then how can you possibly differentiate your product or service and be successful? That is when 'branding' takes the stage.

With this book, I wanted to emphasize how directly and dramatically branding and design affects businesses.

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In color psychology, yellow relates to knowledge, original thought and inquisitiveness. It has wisdom and logic in it, as well as optimism and originality. While including all those qualities, yellow also warns you in advance and helps you be prepared for possible negative situations. That's a brief summary of why I chose yellow for this book and my studio's brand.

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It's OK is a 48 page, 6x6 inch booklet that can easily be carried and kept. Perfect binding method makes it look more like a book than a promotional brochure. I send it out in a black, matte envelope, to give the recipient an intriguing first impression.

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('It's OK' is the motto that I came up with when I started my design studio. 'O.K.' is my initials and I believe that the relieving meaning of 'It's OK' perfectly matches to my way of working.)


I used Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign to create the book.

It all started with the idea. Then came the copywriting, which is one of the most important elements in the book. Once the content was ready, I chose the material, the printing method and I started designing the layout.






I'm so glad that I've received great feedback from both brand owners and designers.

I hope 'It's OK' will help brand owners better perceive the importance of branding and design, and I also hope that it inspires designers to create books to make their valuable statements.

This project once again reminded me the importance and uniqueness of print and it opened a door for me which will lead to new publications in the near future.

Do you think it's getting more and more difficult to differentiate in this era? If you answer is 'yes', then you're not alone. But you know what? It's OK! :)

Ozan Karakoc

Ozan Karakoc is a visual communication designer and creative director.

After working as a senior art director and creative director for one of the major motion picture advertising agencies in the U.S., Iconisus L&Y, he got back to branding and traditional advertising, and became a partner in I Mean It LA. Currently, he's been working at his own design studio.

The founder of award winning web projects Bak Magazine and Muzik Kutusu, and a proud member of AIGA, Ozan created visual and strategic solutions for global clients including 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Carlsberg, Pepsi, FIBA, Godiva and more. His work has been featured in numerous magazines, books and exhibitions.

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