Back in 2015, we had the honor of redesigning Eagle Coffee, one of the first brands to introduce coffee to the US!

What makes this project so fascinating is its deep historical roots. Coffee was first introduced to the world from Constantinople, known today as Istanbul. Interestingly, the client's family, who are Greek Ottomans, were the pioneers in importing coffee from Istanbul to the US.

Above is the original historic packaging of Eagle Coffee, currently on display at the Baltimore Industrial History Museum.

As the design lead and founder of Garage, Salih Kucukaga's roots in Istanbul made this project particularly significant. It was a remarkable opportunity for us to participate in the redesign of such a historic product.

If you take a close look at the original package, you'll notice the old silhouettes of Constantinople.

Check out the full project on Behance.

This week, we've worked on this fun project for one of our favorite clients through a subscription at TheDesignPlans.com

The project involves creating some fun designs for the 130th anniversary of this historic lightvessel boat, a landmark in Stockholm.

Back in 2017, we designed the original boat and tower illustration for Fladen. Now, we've tried a more direct, frontal angle with added wreath and light reflections.

We've also toyed around with some ideas for flags and the FL logo monogram, which Salih had previously put up for feedback on Twitter.

Lastly, if you'd like to check out the designs we created for this client back in 2017 for their 125th anniversary, here's the link.

These designs were featured by Behance in two categories - branding and illustration.

Excited! Our new product's site TheDesignPlans.com is featured in Sparkle App's fresh 5.0 version that just released!

Our site isn't fully complete yet, but we've used some new cool Sparkle features and it's awesome to get featured!

Sparkle, for those of you unfamiliar, is an innovative website design app that allows you to create stunning, interactive websites without any coding knowledge. Their latest 5.0 version is a game-changer, offering tons of cool new features to take your website design experience to the next level!

We're beyond pumped to share some exciting news with you all - our latest product, The Design Plans, is now live!

Here at Garage, we've always had a special place in our hearts for our long-term partners who believe in us and our creative process. It's those relationships, formed under a retianer-fee model, that have inspired us to rethink our approach and embrace a design membership plan.

Why membership plans, you ask? We're all about design – creating illustrations, iconic branding, and packaging designs that turn heads. The time we spent preparing proposals, managing contracts, and negotiating revisions was time we felt could be better spent on design. With our new membership model, we're able to dodge these traditional business hurdles and focus on what we truly love doing - design. Plus, it's a win for our clients too, offering a clear, straightforward process where the costs and deliverables are upfront and transparent.

With TheDesignPlans.com, starting your design projects is a breeze. No more back-and-forth emails and calls. Payment is swift and secure, with credit card, Apple Pay, and Link.com options for quick processing. And here's the cherry on top - we're offering a completely free 7-day trial for our potential clients to test our services and the quality of our work.

Now, here's something important to note - we're only taking on a limited number of clients to ensure we can manage the process effectively and deliver top-notch designs. Currently, we have openings for just 2 more new clients.

So, if you're keen on securing your spot in The Design Plans, you better move fast!

Stay tuned as we continue to refine and expand The Design Plans.

We believe this new approach will revolutionize the way we work and the way our clients experience design services.

We're excited about this new chapter at Garage and look forward to welcoming you to The Design Plans.

This year, we attended what has become our classic Barcelona Offf conference for the third time, along with our good friend Fabien Barral, also known as Mr. Cup and formerly known as Graphic Exchange. We had the opportunity to meet some incredible people at our booth in the market. The amazing individuals we encountered at this conference once again reminded us why we are so passionate about what we do.

Although it was quite exhausting to meet hundreds of people for over 12 hours a day at the market, every single moment was truly wonderful.

We're looking forward to catching up with everyone again next year!

We're thrilled to share that two of our designs have been showcased on a brand new coffee blog called Coffee Hex. Our good friend Lauren Winder Hoar, who is a talented and creative writer, has recently launched this exciting new coffee blog. We've had the pleasure of collaborating with her on several projects in the past, and we know that her passion for coffee and writing will make this blog a huge success. Thanks Lauren, for featuring our work on Coffee Hex!

We want to thank all of our friends wishing you all a wonderful holiday season with family and friends and a wonderful New Year!

We are thrilled that this has been a great year for our studio. We have had the opportunity to work on a wide range of exciting projects with some incredible clients, and we are grateful for the trust and confidence they have placed in us.

Thank you for your continued support.

We look forward to 2023!

I've pivoted. I've changed my business name. From Salih Küçükağa to Garage Design Studio.

I’m ushering in a new era in how I approach design and collaboration. I'm super excited! It's like Salih Küçükağa on steroids, attempting a Tour de France with a supportive team.

Garage for me signifies two of my greatest passions - design and bikes.

“The Garage” has been a special place in the evolution of technology and business for as long as we can remember, a place where you “tinker”, “iterate” and just break the heck out of stuff. It’s also a place where I have gone to tweak my bike before a ride along with iterate many logo projects.

Just like those iconic start-ups that have grown up around us I see design as an evolving process. Garage is about getting back to our roots, using our craftiness and creating high-calibre design for passionate start-ups, pushing the boundaries of branding and popular culture as we know it.

And now Garage Design is a chance for me to push forward a belief system I’ve had all along which has been to make my design services more accessible as well as more cohesive across various mediums, including but not limited to brand strategy and packaging. Garage Design in essence is Salih Küçükağa v.2.0 and a chance for my team to grow with you.

Salih Küçükağa - Garage Design Studio - January 2021

Garage Design Studio Identity System

Decisions! Decisions! Decisions! For the last 12 months we've all found ourselves making really important decisions that impact our daily routine; from our personal space to our family life and health. So now more than ever my contribution to the Mr. Cup 2021 letterpress calendar this year is more relevant than ever. This is my 5th contribution to this awesome collaborative project that takes place each year. It’s always an honor to be part of this project that has now become a classic in the graphic design world. Remember to make decisions and act and forever change your destiny.

AIGA Eye on design

Such an honor to see my identity design for Huel featured on AIGA's design blog Eye on Design. Below is an extract about my work from the article.

Huel (Human + Fuel) founder Julian Hearn says, “We wanted a modern but timeless identity system that needed to represent the brand’s ethos to help simplify life. We felt that too often food packaging is overly colorful and busy, so instead of shouting louder we took the opposite approach, less is more.” The Huel team worked with designer Salih Kucukaga to develop their packaging, who’s visual references ranged from “Epcot logos, to religious iconography in Pisa, to the Latvian god of the harvest Jumis. But eventually they were whittled down to the Swiss style, and a few specific brands such Rapha and Blue Bottle Coffee.”

I asked Hearn why he thinks capital-M Minimalist Modern has become the go-to aesthetic for Complete Food systems. He says it’s all about getting back to basics. “As a population we have made food so delicious that we crave it, get addicted to it, and over consume it. The fact that Complete Food goes against the norm in terms of focusing on the primary purpose of food, e.g. nutrition rather than exclusively taste, has attracted similar founders. I believe the common goal is to strip away the unnecessary additives, flavors, packaging, and preparation. The result is the minimalist aesthetic you see in many of the brands in this space.”

Read the whole article on AIGA.org