Sait Maden; works and contributions to Turkish graphic design

His first poems were published in a local weekly, in 1946. Master taught him the art of calligraphy. He began to write his poems with Aruz measure, and to study and read classical Divan poems. He learnt Ottoman and French. By enrolling the then high school of State's Fine Art Academy of Istanbul (IGDSA) in 1949, he graduated from Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu workshop at 1955. He developed his knowledge here by learning all values, finest examples and techniques of the art of painting. He won the first prize of poem translating of Varlık magazine's in 1951 with a poem of Beaudelaire; the award of Turkish Language Association with an Aragon translation in 1976, and Chilean Presidential Award with his translation of Pablo Neruda. His own poems were published in 1996 in four volumes titled "Open Mystery!" "Road Writings" "Naughtologies" and "The Deep Waters of Poetry". He designed and painted many murals, sets, panels for exhibitions and fairs, and movie posters between the years of 1955 and 1960. After 1960 he turned into graphic design and He is known both as the designer who had Turkish publishing adopt the awareness of presenting the book with an original, aesthetic look with contemporary graphical values, and as the designer who introduced the modern typography into Turkish graphic design. Also an acknowledged master of calligraphy, Maden's "Istanbul" logo series are among the finest examples of modern-classical Turkish calligraphy. His first award winning logo is from 1955. He published a number of his logotypes and emblems under the title of "Symbols" in 1990. Having contributed about 50 original fonts for Turkish design, Mr. Maden used some of these in his corporate identity designs. He opened his own workshop in 1964, in Babıâli. He was among the founders and president for a time of the Graphic Artists Association in 1968. (The association was shut down due to indifference of its members, and reopened in 1978 as Turkish Society of Graphic Designers.) Some of his works were published in 1967, in the Gebrauschgrafik (Novum) periodical. Then he was in exhibitions in Czechoslovakia and Poland. In an effort to discover the history of Turkish Graphic Design, Mr. Maden is the first to study the history of Turkish graphic art and summed his work under the title "Then and Now of The Graphic Design in Our Country". In during his lifetime, one of our most important graphic designers Said Maden, was a pioneer with his unique works, shedding light on novice designers.