Industrial Designer - Product Developer & Computational Designer
ipek.acilay@gmail.com | linkedin.com/in/acilayipek
Based in Ankara, Turkiye - relocating to the Netherlands | Eligible to work without employer sponsorship (zoekjaar permit)
Based in Ankara, Turkiye - relocating to the Netherlands | Eligible to work without employer sponsorship (zoekjaar permit)
Industrial designer with a Master's degree in Product and Service Design and six years of experience across everyday objects, furniture, packaging, and biomaterials. Material-led approach, from formulating biocomposites from citrus waste to 3D printing onto textiles to create rigid structures. Strong in computational and parametric design (Grasshopper) and digital fabrication. Carried projects from material research and concept through prototyping to production-ready outcomes. Collaborated with IKEA of Sweden and Be-Ge Frapett; national runner-up, James Dyson Award 2022.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Co-Founder & Product Developer — Snailzz Design Studio Jan 2025 – Present, Ankara, Türkiye
Co-founded Snailzz, a playful decoration brand built on a snail-inspired design language, leading concept development, product form, and design direction
Drive material research across 3D-printed polymers, steel, cork, and textiles, and evaluate how each behaves and shapes the final object.
Explore unconventional production methods hands-on, including 3D printing directly onto fabric to create rigid, self- supporting structures, and contribute throughout prototyping and print testing.
Design complex parametric surface textures using computational tools (Grasshopper), and shape the brand's visual identity and market positioning.
Project Collaborator — IKEA of Sweden, Aug 2023 – Oct 2023, Älmhult, Sweden
Developed product concepts addressing the work-from-home needs of parents with young children in compact urban homes.
Contributed to early-stage ideation, spatial problem-solving, and user-centered concept development within a multidisciplinary team, aligned with IKEA's product development framework.
Co-Founder — Kikkis Design Lab, Mar 2021 – Oct 2022, Ankara, Türkiye
Co-founded a material-led design studio that turned upcycled orange waste into bespoke home accessories, taking a novel biocomposite from raw feedstock to finished object.
Formulated a biocomposite from orange waste and tested printability, structural integrity, and post-cure stability for FDM 3D printing
Built parametric design workflows that adapted product geometry to the material's behavior and limits.
Developed circular-material strategies spanning sourcing, production, and end-of-life; recognized with National Second Place in the 2022 James Dyson Award.
Product Design Intern — GRUPPENWERK, Jul 2019 – Aug 2019, Hamburg, Germany
Designed an office desk and a Christmas-themed wooden nutcracker, from concept sketching through to prototype.
EDUCATION
MSc Product and Service Design — Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy Oct 2022 – Dec 2024
Final grade: 110/110 (summa cum laude)
Thesis: Ankle braces using auxetic metamaterials to enhance patient mobility and rehabilitation. Explored how computational geometry can solve real-world challenges.
Designed easy-open pill packaging for Rheumatoid Arthritis patients, applying user-centered design to accessibility
Erasmus Exchange — Innovation through Business, Engineering and Design Aug 2023 – Jan 2024 Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden
Worked with Be-Ge Frapett on a circular business model to extend product life, aligned with the upcoming EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).
Developed and delivered a design-thinking workshop for engineering and business students.
BSc Industrial Design — Middle East Technical University (METU) 2015 – 2020 Ankara, Turkey
Thesis: customizable lighting unit for libraries, designed to enhance student learning environments.
METU Industrial Design ranked 7th-best design school in the Americas and Europe (Red Dot Design Ranking)
SKILLS
Design & Fabrication: Computational & Parametric Design, Digital Fabrication, 3D Printing, Concept Development, Systems Mapping, Parametric 3D Modelling
Software: Rhino 3D, Grasshopper, GhPython, KeyShot, Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop, XD, Lightroom), Bambu Studio, Orca Slicer
Other: Project Management, Start-up Leadership, Biomaterial & Biocomposite Research
LANGUAGE
Turkish: Native
English: Professional working proficiency (C1)
Italian: Elementary proficiency (A2)
Dutch: Currently learning
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
James Dyson Award — National Second Place, Turkiye (2022)
A' Design Award — Runner-up (2021)
UNDP Resilience Project Design — Çukurova Challenge, Second Place (2020)
TÜBİTAK BiGG Startup Accelerator — Phase 2 (2022)
S360 Global Shapers Türkiye Circular Innovation — Finalist (2021)
COURSES & CERTIFICATION
Computational Design — School of Disruption, Onur Yüce Gün (2022)
Body Architecture 2.0 — Parametric Architecture, Filippo Nassetti (2023)
Patterns Vibe — Arturo Tedeschi (2022)
Parametric Camp — José Luis García del Castillo (2022)
GhPython Introduction — McNeel Miami, Rhino3D.Education (2024)
Learning Grasshopper — LinkedIn Learning (2024)