Industrialization after 1923

Despite the deeply rooted craft tradition, the industrialization process in Turkey was slow and developed relatively late. After the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923, a process of industrialization came into being mainly in order to create substitutes for imported products from industrialized countries. During this planned process various industries were established, and as a result, from the 1950s onwards, industrial design activities began to emerge. These industrial design activities, which initially began as product modifications for the imported products according to the local market’s needs, have evolved into new product development efforts in sectors such as sanitary ware, textiles, glass ware, furniture and white goods. During the period of planned industrialization especially the large companies in the aforementioned sectors set up in-company design teams/departments. The period of industrialization, in which an industrial production capacity was built through measures such as a protected domestic market and financial incentives of the State, was interrupted by a Military Coup in 1980 and a new political and trade regime followed it.

In this process design units have been formed, especially in large companies in these sectors. This period, in which an industrial production capacity was built through some measures such as a protected domestic market and financial incentives of the State, was interrupted by a Military Coup in 1980 and a new political and trade regime started to reign in Turkey.