The Oil & Gas Year → The Energy Year (2014–2020)
Art Director (2014-2017) → Creative Art Director (2017-2020)
35+ countries
From 2014 to 2020, I served as a key creative lead at The Oil & Gas Year (TOGY), progressing from Art Director to Creative Art Director. In this role, I oversaw design across more than 35 global markets, ensuring each regional publication maintained a cohesive visual identity while catering to local content. My leadership was pivotal in elevating the publication's visual standards – driving innovation in print layout, branding, and digital experiences. I managed and mentored a multidisciplinary design team, steering the creative strategy for TOGY's flagship annual reports and media outputs. This 7-year tenure was marked by a series of transformational projects, from a complete editorial overhaul to a company-wide rebranding, all aimed at aligning the visual narrative with the evolving energy sector.
“Information is Power.”
This motto wasn’t just a line—I helped make it visual, credible, and commercially valuable. Whether through high-accuracy maps, compelling infographics, or elegant magazine layouts, I built design systems that empowered data to speak, sell, and move.This wasn’t just a design role—it was a full creative transformation at the core of a global energy intelligence brand. I redefined how complex information was translated into powerful visuals and elevated both the product and the business behind it.
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To rebuild and modernize the editorial layout system across all editions
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To rebrand the company with a cleaner, greener identity aligned with energy transition
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To integrate GIS-based maps and infographics that added value beyond articles
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To solve field-level visual gaps with custom, hand-rendered watercolors
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To bring UI thinking into team training and internal tool development
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To strengthen creative operations and move from outsourcing to in-house excellence
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To create design work that wasn’t just visually appealing—but trustworthy, scalable, and strategic
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I built and maintained deep trust across our offshore and in-country teams, bridging distances between Istanbul, the UK, and multiple global field offices. Through consistency, accountability, and collaborative problem-solving, we operated as one tight creative unit—despite time zone gaps and travel-heavy production cycles. I introduced processes that helped unify visual thinking between fast-moving editorial content and high-level business needs. This included creating a feedback loop between research, design, and layout—so that visual choices were always informed by both data clarity and storytelling flow. I also supported long-term team growth by mentoring designers and setting up internal structures that outlasted my direct input—templates, systems, and habits that helped ensure quality and brand consistency, even under pressure. My work extended beyond the creative to directly support operations, helping reduce production bottlenecks, manage stress, and foster a design culture built on care and precision.
The most difficult part of the job was the pressure of constant, high-stakes production under conditions that rarely allowed for errors. As a data-sensitive, globally distributed publication, our work had to meet both editorial and governmental scrutiny while also aligning with the expectations of multinational clients. Field teams often returned with urgent last-minute changes, incomplete assets, or country-specific constraints, and we had to solve those creatively and fast. Team members were often in different countries or on the move, which made feedback loops unpredictable. Internally, there was little room to compartmentalize—mistakes in research, layout, or visual framing could quickly ripple into public-facing errors. It was a daily practice in precision, stress control, and accountability. Trust, time management, and clarity became survival tools—and often the only way forward was to treat the entire operation like a creative family: close-knit, supportive, and fully committed.
Watercolor / MALAYSIA 2015: Gumusut-Kakap Floating Production System
Map / KRG 2019: Oil and Gas Industry making gains
UX-UI / 2020: TOGYin Onboarding App
In 2014, I spearheaded the first full redesign of TOGY's magazine since its inception 7 years prior. The legacy layout, which had grown static and dated, was completely overhauled into a modern, modular editorial system. I introduced a fresh grid structure, updated typography, and a dynamic color palette to improve readability and visual appeal. Every section of the magazine – from feature articles and interviews to data pages – received a consistent yet flexible template, allowing for creativity within a unified framework. This redesign not only revitalized the look and feel of the publication but also streamlined production; the new templates and style guides enabled faster turnaround and easier adaptation across our numerous country editions. The result was a cohesive reading experience that engaged readers with cleaner layouts, intuitive navigation of content, and strong visual hierarchy.
The new brand identity for The Energy Year (2020) featured a fresh green palette and a logo representing multiple energy sources, as seen on this report cover and business card.
In 2020, I led the magazine’s complete brand transformation as The Oil & Gas Year evolved into The Energy Year (TEY). This rebranding initiative was a fundamental shift, aligning the company with a broader energy focus and a commitment to sustainability. I designed a new logo and visual identity that reflected this expanded scope: the mark incorporated symbols of oil, gas, and renewable energy, and we replaced TOGY’s longstanding red-and-black color scheme with a vibrant green palette to signify clean energy. Working closely with stakeholders, I developed comprehensive brand guidelines covering everything from typography and imagery to digital presence. We rolled out the new identity across all platforms and materials – the annual country reports, website, marketing collateral, and even office stationery were reimagined under the TEY brand.
The tagline “Information is Power” was retained to preserve brand equity, but every visual element was refreshed to communicate our forward-looking mission. The rebrand not only modernized the company’s image, but also resonated with our audience's growing interest in sustainable energy. It successfully repositioned the publication for the new decade.
To enhance the analytical depth of our reports, I developed a suite of custom maps using ArcGIS. These were highly detailed, accurate depictions of oil and gas fields, pipelines, and energy infrastructure for each market we covered. Each map was crafted to meet government approvals and industry standards, which meant painstakingly verifying data and conforming to local cartographic requirements. Once approved, the maps were published in our reports and also leveraged as standalone products – they were frequently purchased or referenced by partner organizations and government agencies for their clarity and precision. Creating these maps required blending technical GIS skills with design sensibility: I ensured that complex geological data was presented in a clear, visually appealing manner through intuitive color-coding, layering, and legends. Ultimately, the integration of ArcGIS maps elevated our publications by providing readers with authoritative visual context and establishing TOGY as not just a publisher of news, but a source of reliable data visualization.
Complementing the maps, I introduced a broad range of data-driven infographics into the magazine's editorial content. These infographics distilled complex energy economics, operational statistics, and industry trends into engaging visual stories. Whether it was illustrating an oil production forecast, a country’s energy mix, or the strategic roadmap of a national oil company, each graphic was tailored to highlight key insights at a glance. I worked closely with our research and editorial teams to identify the most compelling data points, then visualized them through charts, graphs, and diagrams that fit seamlessly with the surrounding text. Importantly, these infographics were distinct from the maps – focusing on abstract or comparative data rather than geography (for example, a timeline of regulatory changes, a flowchart of an oilfield development process, or a comparative bar chart of OPEC member outputs).
The design style remained consistent with the magazine’s new look – clean lines, brand-aligned colors, and clear labels – ensuring even non-specialist readers could grasp the story quickly. These visual elements not only enriched the reading experience but also reinforced TOGY’s authority as an analytical resource by turning raw data into compelling narratives.
In a creative twist, I pioneered the use of custom watercolor illustrations to portray energy facilities when quality photographs were unavailable. Rather than settling for grainy images of remote rigs or refineries, I painted vivid watercolor scenes that captured the essence of these assets. For brands like Maersk, Total (the Egina project), and others, I produced bespoke artwork depicting their offshore platforms, FPSOs, and industrial sites. This approach turned a potential weakness (lack of good imagery) into a standout feature – the soft watercolor technique lent a distinctive, human touch to what is traditionally a very industrial subject matter. Each illustration was carefully based on reference pictures and technical descriptions, ensuring accuracy in structure and scale while adding an artistic flair. The resulting visuals were not only aesthetically pleasing but also aligned with our storytelling, often symbolizing the blend of engineering and environment.
These watercolors were featured prominently in the magazine and were well-received by both the clients and our readers. The artistic approach became a differentiator that set TOGY apart from competitors in visual storytelling. Later, I even integrated this watercolor style into our digital interfaces (such as splash screens and iconography), further extending the brand’s unique visual language.
Beyond editorial content, I also led the design of full advertising campaigns for our high-profile industry clients. Companies like KPMG, Baker Hughes, Lekoil, and SCM Mexico entrusted us to create impactful ads for their presence in the publication and related media. Each campaign was approached with a unique visual concept tailored to the client’s message. For instance, the Lekoil ad (pictured) used a powerful cheetah motif to symbolize agility in oil exploration, whereas the KPMG campaign featured clean, data-driven imagery to emphasize insight and expertise.
From concept to final artwork, I managed the entire design process – brainstorming creative directions, sourcing or shooting visuals, crafting compelling copy layouts, and ensuring alignment with the client’s brand guidelines. These ads had to grab attention within a content-rich magazine, so I balanced creative flair with clarity of message. I often collaborated directly with client marketing teams to align on objectives, then delivered designs that not only satisfied their requirements but also resonated with our publication’s style. The result was a suite of bespoke advertisements that enhanced the overall quality of the magazine and delivered tangible value to our partners, contributing significantly to TOGY’s commercial success.
As the media landscape evolved, I expanded my scope into UX/UI design to support TOGY’s digital transformation. I led the design and implementation of TOGYin – an internal onboarding system – as well as several web-based sales tools used by our global team. This involved crafting intuitive interfaces and workflows so that new team members and sales staff could easily navigate complex information (such as client databases, project pipelines, and content management systems). Our goal was to streamline the user experience for these internal platforms just as we did for our publications.
I applied user-centered design principles, conducting feedback sessions with actual users to refine the interface usability. Visually, I extended our brand into the digital realm: the interfaces were clean and professional, incorporating TOGY/TEY brand elements for a cohesive experience. In a nod to our print innovations, I also weaved in the watercolor aesthetic subtly (for example, in splash screens or icon illustrations) to give the software a distinctive look echoing our magazine’s creativity. I collaborated closely with developers to ensure my designs were feasible and faithfully implemented. The final products significantly improved our internal operations. New hires ramped up faster thanks to the streamlined onboarding platform, and the sales team engaged clients more efficiently with their custom tool – all while experiencing a polished, branded digital environment.
A crucial part of my role was to build scalable design workflows and nurture a strong in-house creative team. I established an internal production system that could handle the demands of publishing across dozens of markets simultaneously. This included creating master templates, style guides, and libraries of design assets that could be adapted by our regional teams without sacrificing quality or consistency. I mentored junior designers and upskilled local freelancers, standardizing best practices in layout, color usage, and image editing, which raised the baseline quality of all outputs. Over time, these efforts drastically reduced reliance on external freelancers – tasks that once required outsourcing could now be handled internally thanks to the processes and talent we developed.
We introduced collaborative tools and version control for design files, which improved efficiency and cut down errors across the board. I also implemented a workflow for rapid turnaround of last-minute content changes, ensuring we never missed a print deadline despite the complex coordination of international editions. By the end of my tenure, the creative department was a well-oiled machine. It was capable of producing high-caliber work at scale, preserving brand integrity worldwide, and responding agilely to new challenges or market needs.
A
• Acrep • Advanced Precision Industrial Services • Air liquide • AECIPA • Al Sanea Chemical Products • Amni International • Arabian Drilling • ARGAS
B
• Baker Hughes • Banco BIC • Banco de Fomento Angola • Bell Energy • BIC Seguros • BP • Bureau Veritas
C
• Cabship • CENAGAS • Chevron • Chevron Nigeria • Commercial Bank of Kuwait (Al-Tijari) • CPMZ
D
E
• Ecopetrol • Eko Support Services • Eni • ExxonMobil • EY
G
• Gabon Oil Company • Gabon Power Company • Galp • Gazprom • Geoplex • GOFSCO • Grupo Simples • Gulf Center United Industrial Equipment • Gulf Drilling International • Gulfkeystone • GulfTek
H
K
• KPMG • Kuwait Gulf Oil Company • Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research • Kuwait Lube Oil Company • Kuwait Oil Company • Kuwait Petroleum International • Kwanda – Suporte Logístico
L
M
• Mozambique Transmission Company • Murphy Oil
N
• National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited • National Iranian Gas Company • NESSCO • NG Energy • Niger • Delta Power Holding Company • NNPC
O
• Oando • Oman LNG • Oman Oil Marketing Company • OPEC
P
• Perenco • Petralon Energy • Petrofac • Petroleum Development Oman • Petromar • Puma Energy • PwC
Q
• Qatar Fuel • QatarEnergy LNG • Qatargas • Quality Power Co. for Renewable Energy
S
• Saipem • Saudi Arabian Drilling Academy • Saudi Aramco • Shell • Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo • Sonamet • Sonangol • SPETCO • Springfield
T
• Tethys Oil • TLC SA Transportation and Logistic Consulting • TotalEnergies • Touchstone Exploration • Tucker Energy Services
V
• Vanguard Engineering & Oilfield Services
W
• Weatherford • Well Services Petroleum Company
