Design & Story · Universal Brands
The manuscript of a brandEvery brand is a manuscript.
Design and text are more than styling: they are communication, experience and identity. We combine graphic craft, UX and narrative power – from brand presence and business communication to the printed book.
Open the first chapterBooks & FormatsWhat makes it special
We design in chapters.
Before we design the first surface, we write your brand’s table of contents. That way every image, every sentence and every page knows what role it plays in the story.
- Chapter IThe CharacterWho is telling the story – and why should anyone listen?
- Chapter IIThe ConflictWhich problem does the brand solve, and for whom?
- Chapter IIIThe WorldImagery, colour, typography, space.
- Chapter IVThe LanguageTonality, choice of words, rhythm.
- Chapter VThe ImagePhotography, illustration, layout.
- Chapter VIThe BookBiography, brand book, publication.
- Chapter VIIThe EchoWhat remains when the campaign is over.
Books & Formats
A campaign ends. A book stays.
Jan Hempel – the biography
Literary biography of one of Germany’s most successful divers. Interviews, archive and press – cleanly separated into evidence, memory and narrative. Book in progress.
DIE STRASSE
A street food brand book: a restaurateur’s path from craft to his own street kitchen, the rules of the street, the street food cultures of the world and 40 dishes for home. In preparation.
CultAWARD
A format as a complete work: award, memory archive, certificates and tributes – a virtual museum of memory.
Why it works
People remember stories, not lists.
A brand that tells a story gets passed on. A brand that only informs gets forgotten.
Narrative structures give content order, tension and meaning. Those who know which character they are and which conflict they resolve automatically find the right imagery and the right tone.
For Jan Hempel, interviews, audio material and press are becoming a continuous narrative in which evidence, memories and reconstruction remain recognisably separate – credibility as a design principle.
Interlude 01 · creative studio
Artwork,
you can read.
How we work
From the first conversation to print approval.
Listen
Interviews, reviewing material, finding the voice.
Structure
Table of contents, dramaturgy, leitmotifs.
Write & Design
Text, layout, image and photo direction in interplay.
Produce
Editing, print management, ISBN, web implementation.
Resonate
Launch, press, social media, readings.
Services
What we design and write
- 01
UX Design & Web Design
User-centred websites, platforms and digital experiences.
- 02
Graphic & Corporate Design
Visual brand presences, layouts, editorial design and print media.
- 03
Strategic Storytelling
Narrative structures and concepts for products, companies and brands.
- 04
Creative Authorship
Texts for advertising, books, interviews and speeches by personalities, messages and claims.
- 05
Book Design & Author Services
Fiction, biographies, corporate and specialist books – from idea to publication.
- 06
Business Documents
Concept, design and copy for business documents, pitch decks and presentations.
- 07
Visual Storytelling
Photography, illustration and moving image as part of the narrative.
Interlude 02 · creative studio
One life. Three formats.
Evidence
Stories we have told
Next step
What story
does your brand tell?
Write the first chapterCreative Authorship
Note: the visuals on this page are AI-generated and serve as illustration. Universal Brands is responsible for texts and approvals.