Friends since kindergarten, Sucuk and Bratwurst discusses its collective creativity

Creative collective Sucuk and Bratwurst are pretty unique for a number of reasons. Yes, it has a number of impressive clients from Alexander Wang, Nike and Converse (just to name a few) and yes, its work pretty much epitomises the meaning of cool in 2019. But beyond sleek aesthetic and happy clients, the Berlin-based designers have something else going for them, they have all been friends since kindergarten. Alessadro Belliero, David Gönner, Denis Olgac and Lukas Olgac met each other as tiny tots and have maintained a close bond ever since.

“Fast forward ten years, and we were crawling through subway tunnels doing graffiti,” explains Lukas on the studio’s beginnings in creativity. “Then, we were throwing parties and designing flyers. So the studio was a natural move after all the years of shared experiences.” As a four who have known each other since they could talk, their deep-rooted relationships form the basis of Sucuk and Bratwurst’s highly considered and consistent work.

“We’ve been through a lot together, good and bad,” says Lukas of the studio’s intimate foundations. “It’s the family vibe, you don’t always get along but you stick together. Of course we also have a crazy amount of trust and compassion for each other,” he continues. “20 years of friendship is no joke.” Primarily focussed on creating bold imagery in both two and three-dimensional realms, the studio approach its work from a multi-sensory perspective.

Instead of centring the work on typography or the layout of 2D visual elements like the majority of graphic designers out there, the four friends alternatively pay attention to qualities such as sound design, adding another dimension to the hypnotic, moody animations. Collaborating with a couple of other friends, Robert Dietz and Kevin Kozick (Kevkoko) on the sound design, the collective’s outward way of thinking has garnered them high profile clients such as Dior. And though they inevitably have to make a lot of revisions to their original vision with clients of a certain calibre, above all, the designers are grateful that their work can reach so many people when working on such a large scale.

For the four-person collective, ideas come naturally to the group of friends who have grown to be totally in-sync with how the others think. “We are into the cool shit!” says Lukas when asked about Sucuk and Bratwurst’s creative process, “you know it when you see it.” And with this intuitive practice in mind, the designers’ closeness affords them a flow which can tell what the others are already thinking. So, as for the future, the unique studio already has some bold ideas in the pipeline for 2020. A self-driving Sucuk and Bratwurst car? A crypto-coin and currency? Nothing is too wild for these designers, “stay turned for the big stuff,” Lukas teasingly ends with.