Illustration Case Study: Mercedes-Benz Employee Manual — A Milestone in Visual Communication
As an illustrator and concept designer with over 30 years of international experience, I’ve had the privilege of working on many high-level and creatively rewarding assignments. Among the most meaningful: the illustrated Mercedes-Benz Employee Conduct Manual, known internally as the “Mitarbeiterknigge.”
Commissioned by the respected communications agency Sieber & Wolf, and developed in close collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, this project brought together high standards of brand integrity, creativity, and storytelling.
(“Knigge,” named after the 18th-century German philosopher Adolph Freiherr von Knigge, has become shorthand in German-speaking countries for etiquette, courtesy, and professional conduct.)
The Brief: Clarity, Courtesy, and Corporate Culture
The manual was created as a visual guide for Mercedes-Benz employees—especially those in customer-facing roles. It covered a range of interpersonal situations: from handling sales and service interactions, to attending events, responding to complaints, and engaging in professional communication.
The objective: to offer guidance on professional behavior and attitude, presented through clear and engaging illustrations that matched the tone and values of a luxury brand.
Illustration Style: Precision Meets Personality
Working entirely in Adobe Illustrator, I was tasked with developing a distinctive style that aligned with the Mercedes-Benz identity. Each image was hand-drawn digitally using a Wacom Cintiq, ensuring precision while retaining a human, approachable touch.
The illustrations needed to strike a careful balance:
- Friendly and relatable for employees
- Structured and respectful of brand identity
- Scalable and adaptable across media and formats
A dedicated brand color palette and linework style were defined early in the process to maintain consistency and ensure clarity across the entire manual.
Visual Storytelling with Purpose
Throughout the project, I worked closely with Sieber & Wolf’s creative direction team. Their brief provided the core narrative and situational outlines, while I translated these into dynamic character designs and scenarios.
Each vector drawing was built with attention to detail—uniforms, gestures, settings, and technical elements—all carefully constructed to reinforce brand values such as professionalism, empathy, and excellence.
We adopted a tone that was light but never trivial, playful but always respectful of the corporate context. The result was a comprehensive manual that helped humanize expectations and encourage internal engagement.
Technical Execution
- Software: Adobe Illustrator
- Input: Wacom Cintiq with custom brushes for a dynamic, pen-like feel
- Format: Fully scalable vector art
- Style: Clean-line, expressive, modern
This approach allowed full flexibility across different publishing formats while ensuring visual consistency and quality.
Beyond the Manual: Mercedes-Benz Petronas F1 Paper Cutout
Following the successful delivery of the manual, I was invited to collaborate again with Sieber & Wolf—this time on a public-facing project for the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
The brief: design an interactive paper cutout sheet of the Petronas Formula 1 car for children visiting the museum. Every detail, from wheel alignment to sponsorship decals, had to be precise while remaining engaging and easy to assemble. A perfect balance of education and entertainment.
This second collaboration once again highlighted the value of combining artistic skill with technical illustration and brand-sensitive storytelling.
A Project that Reflects My Core Strengths
The Mercedes-Benz Mitarbeiterknigge is a great example of how illustration can do more than decorate—it can inform, guide, and reinforce culture.
As an independent freelance illustrator, I bring:
- Experience with large-scale international projects
- Clear communication and dependable delivery
- Sensitivity to brand, tone, and audience
- A full suite of technical and creative capabilities
This project remains a reference point in my portfolio for corporate communication, luxury branding, and applied visual storytelling.
Related Work
Also see the Mercedes-Benz Petronas Formula 1 cutout template created for the museum in Stuttgart.
Ian David Marsden