Universal Brands · Creative Studio · Bamberg
We turn identity into impact.
For more than 30 years we have been building brands, writing books and making films – from one idea that carries equally well in print, on the web, in a book and on screen. Strategically conceived, crafted by hand, produced as a hybrid: with artificial intelligence as the tool and human responsibility as the standard.
Jump straight into the work →Explore AI Solutions →In focus · As of October 2026
What we are working on right now
Four projects, four stages: what is taking shape, what is finished and what comes next.
Jan Hempel – Book and Film
A life story that has to hold up.
608 manuscript pages after three years of research, plus the screenplay for the film. Attorney Dr. Thomas Summerer is reviewing the work meticulously – and contributes as co-author at key points.
BookBiographyScreenplayTo the news →
CultAWARD
A star worth reaching for.
From design and concept to execution: we built the award ceremony as a brand and made it market-ready. 111 nominations on three levels – the gala follows in December 2027 in Bamberg.
FormatBrand IdentityNamingTo the news →
tonis EATERY – Relaunch
One sets the tone. Everyone performs at star level.
New business areas, new order: a corporate design manual, a corporate communication manual and a comprehensively rebuilt website for top chef Toni Tänzer.
Corporate DesignCorporate CommunicationWebsiteTo the news →
Splashdiving 2027
Splashdiving. The Original.
With new partners and new ideas, Splashdiving is being refined as a sport in its own right – for a new event series launching in 2027.
Sports brandEvent seriesBrand StrategyTo the news →
Interlude 01 · creative studio
Thrill appeal,
produced in series.
Der Film.
Seine Stiftung.
JAN
HEMPEL
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CultAWARD
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SPLASH
DIVING
FILM
MAKING
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Thrill appeal
universal brands
creative studio · thrill appeal & artwork
What we do
Four disciplines.
One brand system.
Every project starts at the brand core and ends where people experience it – as a name, a design, a text, a book, a film or an AI system.
AI Solutions
Artificial intelligence in strategy, brand, production and operations – hybrid: the machine delivers, the human takes responsibility.
Industry & TechnologySports & LifestyleConsumer GoodsCulture & EntertainmentHospitalityEducation & SocialTrade Fairs & EventsMobility & Crafts
Trust · A selection from 35 years
Brands we have worked for.
- Arena Deutschland
- Asics
- Canon
- Chio
- Fanta
- Flughafen Düsseldorf
- Hyundai
- Intersport
- Karstadt
- Marriott
- Mentos
- Mitsubishi Motors
- Messe Berlin
- Nokia
- Red Bull
- Siemens
- Smint
- Ubisoft
- Ültje
- ProSieben
- ZDF
- RTL
- WDR
- GEMAC Chemnitz
- University of Bayreuth
- University of Freiburg
- Nestlé Schöller
- Flyeralarm
- Area47
- tonis EATERY
- Toni Tänzer
- International Streetfood
- Jan Hempel
- Mahrs Bräu
- I LOVE MY CAR
An excerpt. Work from the agency, production and studio years of Oliver Hillebrecht and Universal Brands. View selected work →
New work · Brand building & brand development
GEMAC Chemnitz
Precision you can feel online: for the Chemnitz-based specialist in sensor technology, measurement and electronics manufacturing “Made in Saxony”, Universal Brands laid the foundation for brand development and designed and built a new web presence – bilingual, clearly structured and made for international B2B customers.
WebsiteB2BInternationalisationExperience precision online ↗
Showcase
Brands we have moved
- 2026CultAWARDOwn format · Naming · Brand Identity · Digital→
- 2025GEMAC ChemnitzBrand development · CI&CD · Internationalisation↗
- 2017–Jan HempelPersonal Brand · Web · Biography→
- 2017LANZCorporate Identity · Website · Slogans→
- 2015iLoveMyCarBranding · TV/Film · Franchise→
- 2011University of BayreuthNaming · Logo · Website→
- 2010YOU · Messe BerlinImage trailer · Film→
- 2010Düsseldorf AirportCommercial · Image campaign→
- 2010CHIO · IntersnackProduct launch · Events · Video→
- 2008ASICSEurope-wide lifestyle launch→
- 2007MENTOSNationwide campaign · Events→
Focus
A website gets reworked. A campaign ends. A book stays.
That is why we write biographies, brand books and formats that capture an attitude: the story of an Olympian, the rules of a street kitchen, the memory of an entire culture.
From the first interview question through manuscript, photo direction and layout to ISBN, print and launch, we accompany the book as part of the brand – and make it the anchor for website, press and social media.
How a book comes to life →“Beauty is the exact opposite of slackening, and it demands our vigilance.”Oliver Hillebrecht, Universal Brands
AI Solutions · Hybrid
Human × Machine. One protocol.
The next ten years will be shaped by artificial intelligence – in production, communication and decision-making. Anyone leading a brand does not need yet another tool for this, but a procedure. Ours is called the Human–Machine Protocol.
All AI Solutions →To the AI Check →- AI Strategy & Future RadarWhere AI changes your business – and what that means for your brand.
- Brand Building with AIBrand memory, positioning and identity for companies that want to become a brand.
- Content & ProductionTexts, visual worlds, film, websites – produced as a hybrid, approved by humans.
- Automation & AgentsProcesses, assistants and agents that work in the brand’s everyday life.
- Training & EnablementEnabling teams to use AI safely and well within the brand framework.
- AI CheckThe entry point: brand, data and processes put to the test – with a protocol.
Transparent labelling of AI-assisted content · Data protection in line with the GDPR · Compliant with the transparency obligations of the EU AI Act · Approval after every project phase
Latest
News from the studio
Jan Hempel: A life story for book and film
608 manuscript pages, a screenplay in progress: attorney Dr. Thomas Summerer is reviewing the biography of Jan Hempel meticulously – and contributes as co-author at key points.
CultAWARD is on the market
From the name to the gala: Universal Brands has built the CultAWARD as a brand and made it market-ready. 111 nominations on three levels, gala in December 2027 in Bamberg.
tonis EATERY: relaunch of a brand with a signature
New business areas, new order: a corporate design manual, a corporate communication manual and a website for top chef Toni Tänzer – the relaunch of tonis EATERY is live.
Splashdiving 2027: a sport is being rebuilt
New partners, new ideas: Splashdiving is being refined as a sport in its own right. For 2027, a new event series is taking shape – for the 20th Splashiversary.
At 2:28 a.m. the cult rises
The CultAWARD opens on the night before Christmas Eve – at the moment of the full moon that comes closest to Earth this year. Seventeen years after the first idea.
Contact
Your brand has a story.
Let’s tell it.
Write the first sentence →Come to the studio →CultAWARD →
Note: some of the visuals on this page were created digitally with AI support, based on Universal Brands’ own designs and concepts. Project photos come from the archives of our clients and of Universal Brands.