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About Me

Hey, I’m Can Usta. I’m a designer, developer, and artist. I was born in 1983, grew up in Istanbul, and moved to London in 2019.

What I Do

Web Design and Development

For over 20 years, I’ve been building websites for creative people. I like my designs to be simple, high-quality, and unique. You can read more about my website-making process here.

Painting

One of my joys is painting. I love the process of exploring ideas and creating something unique. My paintings are often described as simple, minimal, and calm.

Swing Dancing

I’m a professional and social swing dancer. It’s a big part of my life, and the dance community around the world feels like family to me. I used to teach under Swing Istanbul and now offer private lessons for intermediate and advanced dancers.

Photography and Videography

I take photos and videos every chance I get, always looking for good compositions or interesting subjects. I’ve done this professionally in the past, but these days it’s more for fun or social causes.

Music

I play drums and have been in several bands. I also create music with digital and analogue tools and have published some tracks here and there. I’m still working on improving my instrumental skills and music knowledge.

A Little More About Me

I’m fascinated by machine learning and spend a fair amount of time learning about it and keeping up with current developments in the field.

I value being thoughtful and helpful to others and work hard to be responsible and continually improve myself.

I graduated with a talent scholarship from İstanbul Bilgi University's Visual Communication Design Department. Before that, I briefly attended art school at İstanbul Yıldız Technical University. While living in Istanbul, I taught Design Studio classes at Kadir Has University.

In 2018, I was honoured to serve as a jury member for the Turkey Graphic Design Association's annual awards. I don't have many awards myself, though—that's probably because I don't apply for them.

Some Side Projects

Swing-Out Istanbul

A non-profit organisation I founded to share swing dance events happening in Istanbul.
swing-out.com instagram/swing.out.istanbul

Left Handers Club

A new project I’ll be launching soon. Check it out' here.

What Inspires Me

I’m deeply interested in what’s happening around me and in the world. I try to support people in need, whether in Türkiye, Palestine, or Ukraine. Human and animal rights are especially important to me, and I’m always looking for ways to help.

Find Me Online