Studio · Universal Brands · Bamberg
The ManifestoWhere good work takes shape.
Universal Brands is a creative studio in Bamberg for brands, books and films. For more than 30 years we have been designing for German and international icons from industry, retail, media and sport – and for people with a story that wants to be told.
Meet the designerRead the manifesto
The designer · Founder and Head of Production
Oliver
Hillebrecht.
Author and brand designer
Oliver Hillebrecht is an author, brand designer and founder of the Bamberg creative studio Universal Brands, which he has led as Head of Production since 2011. He develops brand architectures and steers interdisciplinary campaigns for companies from industry, retail, media and sport – in B2B as well as B2C. His range extends from name and slogan through branded interaction, graphic design and key visuals to international film production.
As an author he is writing the life story of Olympic diver Jan Hempel – as a biography, as a novel and as the screenplay for the feature film. He is drawn to characters with emotional depth and to demanding storytelling: stories that move people and stay in the memory.
In 2009 he conceived the CultAWARD and designed its trophy: the woman standing on the globe, reaching for the star and merging with it – an image for the moment when an object becomes a cult. As publisher, he is responsible for every nomination and every tribute.
- 2011Universal Brands founded in Bamberg
- 2009CultAWARD conceived, trophy designed
- 3Formats of one life story: biography, novel, screenplay
- 1Mind for strategy, design, text and film
Made for the best.
More about OliverTalk to Oliver
How to drive aesthetics upwards
“Aesthetics means perceiving with the senses: proportion, harmony, the quiet balance in things. What we perceive as aesthetic, we call beautiful. Beauty has to do with symmetry, with the richness of ideas and with the effort one makes. Beauty is the moment in which we lift our heads. It wants to be hatched anew, again and again. It is the exact opposite of slackening, and it demands our vigilance. When it touches us, we experience devotion. It lasts a second. Then everything begins again. One has to work at it, take on the effort over and over. This process never ends, because beauty can never be captured, never be held.”
Oliver Hillebrecht · Author & Brand Designer
What makes it special
Seven sentences we work by.
- 01Strategy becomes visible – or it does not exist.
- 02We build systems, not individual parts.
- 03The distinctive beats the usual.
- 04An idea must be able to travel: from book to web, from poster to film.
- 05Courage over mediocrity. Feeling over phrases.
- 06Curiosity is our method, intellect our tool.
- 07Those who design take responsibility – including for the machine.
Why it works
Why a studio – and not an off-the-shelf agency?
Outstanding work emerges where one person carries responsibility for the whole.
In the studio, strategy, design, text and film come together in one mind. That shortens paths, protects the idea from dilution and makes every decision traceable: recommendation, reasoning, variants, approval.
Universal Brands has realised campaigns, events and films for brands such as Asics, Mentos, Chio and Düsseldorf Airport – and today develops its own formats such as the CultAWARD and books such as the biography of Jan Hempel.
Interlude 01 · creative studio
A creative studio,
that creates cults of its own.
AWARD
Vergeben.
Für immer verdient!
Studio · Read on
Four doors into the studio.
Oliver Hillebrecht.
Founder, author, brand designer, filmmaker. Milestones, roles and a short biography for press and partners.
CultAWARD.
Our own format: an award for what people cannot let go of. From the idea in 2009 to the gala in 2027.
News.
Latest from the studio: new work, formats, publications and thoughts on brand and AI.
AI Solutions.
How the studio connects human and machine – strategy, brand, production, automation, training.
In the name of the brand
Who we have worked for.
- Arena Deutschland
- Asics
- Canon
- Chio
- Fanta
- Düsseldorf Airport
- Hyundai
- Intersport
- Karstadt
- Marriott
- Mentos
- Mitsubishi Motors
- Messe Berlin
- Nokia
- Red Bull
- Siemens
- Smint
- Ubisoft
- Ültje
- ProSieben
- ZDF
- RTL
- WDR
- GEMAC Chemnitz
- Jan Hempel
- International Streetfood
- Toni Tänzer
- Mahrs Bräu
- I LOVE MY CAR
- University of Freiburg
- Nestlé Schöller
- Flyeralarm
- Area47
… and for other well-known names.
“A brand is like a loyal companion. It stays by our side – in all the colours of life.”Universal Brands
Next step
Good work
needs a partner.
Arrange a coffee in BambergOur tools
Note: the portrait of Oliver Hillebrecht is an original photograph. All other visuals on this page are AI-generated and serve as illustration. Universal Brands is responsible for texts and approvals.