As part of the Innovative Practices course offered by the Visual Communication Design Department at Arkın University of Creative Arts and Design (ARUCAD), a seminar was held featuring Eda Baştuğ and Verda Erk, co-founders of the creative agency Cherry Red Advertising. Moderated by Asst. Prof. Dr. Huri Yontucu, the event provided an in-depth discussion on originality in logo design, ethical creativity, and cultural inspiration. The speakers emphasized that originality in branding is not only an aesthetic decision, but also essential for building trust, strengthening brand identity, and avoiding legal risks. Using global plagiarism cases and examples from their own agency, they highlighted how superficial modifications to existing designs do not ensure originality and can lead to serious ethical and legal consequences.
The session also focused on the importance of visual reference control in the design process. Tools like Google reverse image search were introduced to help verify originality. The discussion further explored how art history, cultural movements, digital trends, and a culture of lifelong learning can nourish creative thinking. Through case studies from viral campaigns and local projects, the speakers demonstrated how cultural knowledge can be transformed into visually rich, original narratives.
Participants came away with a deeper understanding of design as a multi-layered process that encompasses not only aesthetics but also ethics, strategy, and cultural relevance. By merging current industry practices with academic learning, the seminar contributed meaningfully to students’ awareness of creative responsibility and the development of original visual language.
