Sound Design
Deliverables
Audio UX for Full Product Line, Audio Brand Strategy, Brand Music
Application
Peloton Bike, Tread, Rower, Gaming, and Guide
Sound Design Project Overview
Over the last several years, we’ve been fortunate to have Peloton as one of our primary clients. Throughout the ongoing partnership, we’ve served as an embedded team member of their UX and Brand Design teams, developing their Peloton sounds, audio brand strategy, and audio UX ecosystem that spans their entire product line (Bike, Tread, Rower, and Guide), as well as their gaming platform (Lanebreak). Our work created a cohesive sound identity that enhanced the user experience and Peloton’s brand.
Peloton’s Sound of Exertion
After our initial discovery phase, we began designing the Startup sound that would be used across all products and also as a sound logo for marketing. The Startup sound became the foundation for exploring how Peloton’s design principles could come to life, while capturing the sound of exertion, an essential part of the workout experience. We also integrated authentic Peloton sounds recorded from the product itself, creating a direct line back to the flagship device that put the brand on the map.
The Startup Peloton Sound was the perfect starting point for setting a foundation in design. This is what users first hear when logging in and will also hear as a Sound Logo in campaigns driving recall and setting the tone for the brand all up.
Design Sound Principles
Working alongside the ux and brand team, we decided to focus our efforts into communicating four core design principles that guided us to design a holistic system spanning product, marketing and gaming while remaining flexible for each intended touchpoint. We initially set our focus on designing for Guide which was Peloton’s newest TV connected device. This set a strong foundation for the audio ux language could then be adapted to other products.
Spanning the Ecosystem
Once we finalized design for Guide, we pivoted to Rower, Tread and Bike. Seeing that the core brand and ux language was established, it became a smooth and easy task of finding areas where we could reuse, or modify, existing design to fit in the right context of different interactions for different devices. This allowed us to maintain a holistic design system that had enough flexibility for its intended device and exercise context.
Peloton Sounds & Alerts
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Purpose Built
Tactile, minimal palette designed to add feel and inform
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Kinetic & Dynamic
Use of motion and musicality for hero and brand moments
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Premium
Design with a clear, weighted feel
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Accessible
Understandable alerts and warnings for low vision users
Various UX
Lanebreak Gaming
As we were wrapping up the audio ux for Peloton, they pulled us into working with them on their new foray into gaming on Bike and Tread. We worked alongside Peloton’s ux team and their extended gaming partner to create the menu music, menu ux and in game sound design for Lanebreak that helped to bring the game to life. The expansion into interactive sound gave us a new frontier to explore Peloton sounds as part of an immersive, gamified fitness journey. Check out an in-depth case study of Lanebreak in the Work section of our site.
Extending the DNA to Gaming
The approach of creating sound for gaming is typically very different from creating brand or ux sound, but we saw this as an opportunity to extend the Peloton brand palette and add a bit more color and dynamics to engage the players of Lanebreak. Menu music was designed to get the player into a more focussed headspace before joining their workout. Audio UX uses the foundational palette as all Peloton ux while adding some texture and reactivity for exciting moments like starting a game. The in game sound design is where we took a departure to really support game play with something rich and ethereal supporting the futuristic, space like environment.
Menu Music & UX
Music & Sound Design
Bringing Peloton Sounds Into Motion
Our work with Peloton continues to evolve as the company expands into new products, platforms, and formats. From startup sounds to workout cues to full gaming soundscapes, every detail is built to support performance, emotion, and brand identity. Contact us to explore how custom sound design can elevate your product experience.
