Arzu Celik Portfolio

London-based director wearing multiple hats, including invited speaker, featured digital artist, award-winning game designer, creative consultant, graphic designer, and landscape architect.

I develop and design innovative ideas for a future where creativity converges with technology, growth, and sustainability. My mission is to unleash human creativity. I love sharing this mission with the world by blending traditional methods with generative AI and other emerging technologies through tailored training, consultancy, content creation, and design solutions. My goal is to help people articulate their vision, increase their visibility, and support their growth.

I also envision creative experiments and bring them to life as compelling case studies, like 'Creativity Stations' and 'AREAILISM.' Highlighted on social media by major companies like Google AR&VR, these projects capture attention with their bold names and engaging stories.

At a glance, An Experiential Journey...

I began my career as a landscape architect in urban and regional planning. Driven by a curiosity to integrate my experiences across different disciplines, I shifted focus to creative projects in social impact, technology, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. This led me to become a creative director, where I spearheaded projects for notable entities such as the Digital Transformation Office of the Presidency of Türkiye, the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN), EUROSAI, WAPES, and the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM). This phase of my career provided hands-on experience in project building, management, development, and networking. (2014-2021)

While working as a design consultant at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), my curiosity about integrating diverse experiences led me to pursue a master’s degree in Computer Animation and Game Technologies, fueled by my lifelong passion for games. During this time, I also began to explore ML/AI and XR (AR & VR). (2018-2020)

In the final year of my master’s program, I led the formation of an eight-person team to design a video game project using Unreal Engine. Our efforts resulted in the acceptance of our startup, 'ATOM,' into the METU Teknokent Incubation Center (2020-2022). During this initiative, I received an award for a game focused on sustainability and climate change. Developed for the 'Lost and Found' theme of the Global Game Jam (GGJ 2021), our game won the Core Diversifier Challenge sponsored by Manticore Games. I wrote the game’s story and led a three-person team to design it within 48 hours, with our game being selected among the top 10 out of 113 entries. At the same time, I received my first invitations to serve as a jury member and speaker, a period that also coincided with the restrictive times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the game project continues, I have worked as a freelance creative director and design partner on a project basis. Notable clients include Meta (Facebook), Turkish Airlines (THY), and Stichting SPARK (2021). My passion for lifelong learning inspired me to establish an innovative small business, Azul Creative Mds, in London, United Kingdom (2021). I am now focused on learning, teaching, creating, and sharing my experiences on a global stage. I look forward to connecting with people who support this journey.

Award

GGJ Headline Sponsor Manticore Games added an extra challenge to their Diversifier Core Exercise offering a prize pool for the best games created at GGJ 2021 using the Core Engine. Manticore Games assembled a panel of industry experts who have selected their 10 favorites of the 113 games submitted to the Diversifier.

Dignity was selected among the top 10 games out of 113 games.

Featured Creative Contents