Create
Great businesses begin with a dream. CREATE turns that dream into a clear concept, a sound business model, a distinctive brand and an experience built to perform.
- Start-up
- Brand creation
- Pre-opening
We shape ambition
into what’s next!
DERNEK IS AN INDEPENDENT BRAND AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, BRINGING STRATEGY, CREATIVITY AND THE RIGHT EXPERTISE TOGETHER AROUND EACH PROJECT.
Founded by Murat Dernek, the company offers deep-rooted experience in hospitality, gastronomy, wellbeing and lifestyle.
Consulting
Hospitality is where I come from. Creativity is how I think.
Hospitality has shaped the way I see every business: through people, emotion and care.
Over thirty-three years, it has taught me to remain curious, read people, anticipate their needs and understand how emotion, detail and genuine care can turn something functional into something memorable. Creativity is how I translate those insights into distinctive brands, meaningful experiences and new business opportunities.
I believe the strongest businesses begin with imagination, but grow through clarity, discipline and consistency. A beautiful idea must become a sound business model. A compelling brand must keep its promise. An inspiring experience must be supported by standards that protect its quality every day.
I do not observe projects from a distance. I identify with them, take ownership of their ambitions and keep asking how they can become more relevant, more valuable and more meaningful.
That spirit is the foundation of DERNEK; the courage to imagine what could be, and the experience to make it real.
MODEL
What’s next for your brand?
Every brand starts from a different place. Some need form. Some need a new shape. Some need the right connections to move. Create, Change and Connect give each one its direction.
Change
When a brand no longer reflects where it is going, it is time to reshape it. CHANGE redefines what already exists, its position, experience and commercial value, so it can move again.
- Rebranding
- Repositioning
- Transformation
Connect
Momentum needs the right people around it. CONNECT draws attention and builds reach through partnerships, collaborations, communities and marketing activations.
- Partnerships
- Collaborations
- Marketing
CAPABILITIES
What creates momentum?
Growth follows when strategy, brand, digital presence and marketing move in the same direction. Four capability areas work as one—to recognise the opportunity, give it direction and turn it into measurable growth.
Development
Positioning & Strategic Direction · Market & Opportunity Analysis · Business Model, Revenue & Pricing · Growth & Expansion Strategy · Corporate Training & Team Development · Operational Audits & Mystery Guest
View capability →Design
Brand Concept & Storytelling · Naming & Verbal Identity · Brand Guidelines & Applications · Visual & Corporate Identity · Creative Direction & Campaign Concepts · Brand Experience & Touchpoint Design
View capability →Digital Growth Strategy · Web & App Development · E-Commerce Experience · SEO & GEO Visibility · Performance Marketing & Social Media · CRM, Data Analytics & Automation
View capability →Activations
Marketing Strategy & Planning · Launch & Go-to-Market · Campaigns & Brand Activations · Collaborations & Strategic Partnerships · Sales Channel Development · Community Building & Engagement
View capability →
CreateChangeConnect
CreateChangeConnect
CreateChangeConnect
CreateChangeConnect
Selected projects
What has taken shape?
A selection of brands and experiences brought to life. Behind each one: strategy, business development, digital growth and renewal.
Create
Balmumu Dükkan &
Lokanta
Logo & Brand Identity
A logo and symbol system drawn from the bee, beeswax and Ahmet Güzelyağdöken’s culinary heritage.
Explore project →
Change
Alsancak Dostlar Fırını
Business & Brand RenewalThe renewal of an İzmir institution: business strategy, rebranding, retail design, products, operations and expansion, aligned as one.
Explore project →
Connect
Swissôtel Büyük Efes
Loyalty & Brand CommunicationLoyalty card and annual calendar concepts drawn from the heritage, art and contemporary hospitality of an İzmir landmark.
Explore project →
EXPERTS
Different disciplines. One collective vision.
Creative direction, digital products, business transformation, growth, wellbeing, coaching and service quality. Each project draws on the right combination, aligned from strategy to execution.
Cansu Ayyıldız
Creative DirectionCansu’s work moves naturally between brand, space, product and communication. A Graphic Design graduate of Yaşar University, she began developing creative projects while still a student and launched
Özkan Taştan
Digital Products & TechnologyFor Özkan, technology begins with understanding how a business actually works. His Mechanical Engineering education, together with his leadership of the university’s Robotics and Automation Society
Bilge Erdem
Transformation, Ecosystems & Future Business ModelsBilge turns complex organisations, technologies and business relationships into clear, connected systems. She graduated in Industrial Engineering from Uludağ University, studied Information Technology in Denmark
Barış Tekin
Commercial Performance & ProfitabilityTwo decades across city hotels, resorts and tourism investments have given Barış a practical understanding of what makes hospitality businesses commercially successful. A graduate of Tourism and Hotel Management,
Arzum Arslan
Digital Growth & OperationsArzum works at the intersection of digital marketing, data and operations. Her Industrial Engineering education at Istanbul Technical University gave her a structured approach to growth,
Muhammet Petru Gürkan
Wellbeing & LongevityFor more than 20 years, Muhammet has developed wellbeing experiences that bring hospitality, health, nutrition and lifestyle together. His career spans The LifeCo, Sianji Wellbeing Resort and The Detox Bay,
Demet Dernek
Executive Coaching & TrainingDemet brings together two worlds rarely considered side by side: corporate experience and inner transformation. After studying Business at Dokuz Eylül University, she worked in commercial banking, portfolio management and corporate client management at major communication company.
Mr. X
Mystery AuditMore than 30 years in service and tourism, across over 40 countries, have given Mr. X an exceptional ability to notice what most people overlook.
Claude
AI CollaboratorClaude turns open questions into clear, working answers. Developed by Anthropic and trained on a broad body of human knowledge spanning languages, science, business and code, it is an AI model rather
RING the bell!
A new idea, a change or the right connection — tell us where you are, and we’ll take it from there.