Country Profile: Turkey
Dedicated design policy status
No standalone national design policy has been adopted in the last five years. The last official Design Strategy and Action Plan was issued for 2018–2020 by the Turkish Design Advisory Council. In 2023, the Türkiye Design Vision 2030 Workshop was organized by TURKPATENT, Bilişim Vadisi, and WDO, but it has not yet resulted in a formal policy.
Design in other policy agendas
- CCI Strategy – No dedicated cultural or creative industries strategy referencing design was identified. [Overlooked]
- Innovation Strategy – Industry and Innovation Strategy 2023 includes measures to increase the competencies of design centres, promote the benefits of industrial design in manufacturing and integrate design and software technologies into education. It also highlights design thinking in educational programs. [Integrated]
- Industrial / Development Strategy – The 12th National Development Plan (2024–2028) shows an extensive industrial/development-level inclusions of design. Design is mainstreamed across multiple actions and sectors: product design for circular economy, design for AI and microchips, capacity-building for industry-supported R&D and design centres, programmes to train industrial designers and software developers, enhanced functionality of design centres, IP training in design centres, support for innovative furniture design, and explicit measures on smart/sustainable building and urban/spatial design. The plan also includes service-design measures for digital public services (workshops, portals). This is a comprehensive industrial-development framing where design functions as both capability and delivery mechanism for sectoral modernisation. [Championed]
- Circular Economy Strategy – National Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan and the 2053 Long-Term Climate Strategy mention eco-design, environmentally friendly design, product redesign, and design guidelines for sustainable tourism. [Integrated]
- CCI, digital, architecture strategies – No strategies or explicit references to design identified beyond service design initiatives in the development plan.
Observations
Turkey demonstrates a strong emphasis on design within industrial and development planning, particularly through the 12th National Development Plan, which positions design as an important enabler for innovation, sustainability, and digital transformation. Circular economy and climate strategies further reinforce design’s role in achieving long-term sustainability goals. While cultural and creative industries strategies remain underdeveloped and the 2018–2020 Design Strategy has not been renewed, recent initiatives such as the Türkiye Design Vision 2030 Workshop indicate growing momentum toward a more structured national design policy. Building on these efforts could help consolidate fragmented measures into a coherent framework for design-driven innovation and competitiveness.
Sources
- Tasarım Stratejisi ve Eylem Planı 2018-2020, o. J.
- Turkey Design Strategy Paper and Action Plan (2014-2016), o. J.
- Turkiye Industry and Innovation Strategy (2023), o. J.
- Twelfth Development Plan (2024-2028), o. J.