MadeByCat: 19 Years of Digital Craft

From a bold idea in 2007 to one of the most awarded digital studios in the EMEA region — the MadeByCat story.

In 2007, when the iPhone had just been announced and responsive design was years away, MadeByCat was founded in Istanbul with a singular vision: to bridge the gap between Communication, Art and Technology. These three pillars — encoded in the studio's very name (C-A-T) — would guide every decision, project and partnership for the next 19 years.

The early years were defined by conviction and craft. While many agencies chased volume, MadeByCat focused on quality and depth. Early partnerships with major Turkish banks and holding companies — work that required enterprise-grade security, performance and scalability — established the studio's reputation for handling complex, high-stakes projects. These formative engagements laid the foundation for what would become a portfolio of 950+ projects.

Recognition came steadily. From early CSS Design Awards to Webby Awards, Red Dot Design Awards and iF Design Awards, the international community took notice. By 2026, MadeByCat has accumulated over 130 international awards — a testament to sustained creative and technical excellence, not fleeting trends. Notable projects for clients like Garanti BBVA, Akbank, Sabancı Holding, Doğuş Group and Galataport Istanbul consistently pushed the boundaries of what enterprise digital experiences could achieve.

Expansion beyond Istanbul was a natural evolution. The Cambridge office brought proximity to the UK and European markets, while Dubai opened doors to the Middle East's ambitious digital transformation landscape. Today, MadeByCat operates as a truly international studio — 30+ professionals across three continents — while maintaining the craft-oriented culture of its founding.

The studio's methodology has been refined through thousands of engagements into a six-phase framework: Discover, Define, Design, Develop, Launch and Evolve. This structured approach ensures that every project — whether a focused UX audit or a multi-year platform build — is grounded in research, executed with engineering discipline, and continuously improved post-launch through data-driven iteration.

Looking ahead, MadeByCat is investing in AI-augmented design workflows, accessibility as a design philosophy (not just compliance), and performance engineering as a competitive differentiator. The studio's vision remains unchanged from 2007: to create digital experiences where Communication, Art and Technology converge to produce something greater than the sum of their parts. After 19 years and 950+ projects, the best is still ahead.