Product, App, TV Commercials, Social Media, Digital Content
Project Overview
Whisper AI is a company who is invested in innovating hearing aid technology to be more easily integrated into peoples lives. In 2020, we had the chance to partner with them in creating a cohesive, branded set of sounds that help to bolster the user experience with informative, accessible tones that, at times, add moments of delight.
Design Principles
Key to our effort was setting a strong foundation of research of their primary customer target to better understand what was most important to them and optimizing design around a some key design principles. First, we wanted to create an accessible soundscape to not alarm the user. Second, we wanted to create a minimal soundscape that is more modern and won’t annoy the user. Lastly, create a soundscape that is easily understood and communicative.
Design System
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Accessible
Soft textures that sweep in to not alarm the user
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Minimal
Simplistic tones that don’t cause fatigue
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Communicative
Melodic phrases that mirror one another to communicate state of device
Process
Before jumping into design, we held a listening workshop with the brand as well as with key stakeholders from their test group to ensure we were designing not only for the brand, but also the people who would be using the device on a regular basis. During our design process we worked closely with the design team implementing and testing files with their test group to refine the sounds to the final set.
Impact
The sounds created for Whisper were a massive addition to their forward thinking approach to better design for hearing aids. Since the launch in 2020, customers have continuously mentioned the sound design as one of their favorite parts of the experience.
Whole Home Security Products: Burglary Sensors, Smart Locks, Video Doorbell, Cameras, Keypad and In App
Overview
Home alarm systems have historically been very unpleasant with high pitched beeps and chimes that irritate and add stress to the home environment. SimpliSafe came to us in hopes of creating a softer, more welcoming experience that further differentiate their brand and product.
Design System
SimpliSafe as a product ecosystem is already years ahead of the competition in ease of use and design so we wanted to play off of that creating an audio design system that had simplicity, warmth and tactility at the core. We balanced airy pads and textures to give a warm and welcoming feel while keeping compositions and instrumentation minimal to not cause too much noise in the home environment.
Design System
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Startup
Warm, welcoming texture that drifts away
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Exit Chime
Tactile tone that is audible yet not fatiguing
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Confirmation
Positive affirmation for successful changes
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Notification
Mobile notification that is unique and ownable
Building a more welcoming sound experience for SimpliSafe was step one. Once implemented, we began using the Startup sound as a signature audio logo for advertisements across TV, social and digital to build brand recall and equity.
Sound Logo, Brand Anthem, Variations and Audio Brand Strategy
Application
TV Commercials, Audio Advertising, Social Media, Digital Content
Awards
Sound Logo Index: #2 most recognizable Sonic ID
Creating a Brand Anthem
The State Farm jingle has been one of the most iconic melodies in American advertising for over 50 years. As part of a comprehensive brand refresh, we worked with State Farm and Wolff Olins to evolve the original tune into a fully developed brand anthem. The result is a modern audio system that scales across television, digital content, social platforms, and internal communications.
Building on Brand Equity
With over 100 years of brand equity, State Farm needed to update its sound while remaining true to its legacy. With the rebrand, our goal was to position State Farm as a trusted industry leader embracing a bolder vision for the future. With this in mind, we were tasked with maintaining a strong connection to the legacy, building on decades of equity in the original jingle, while moving the brand into a more contemporary space.
We aimed to leverage the equity built by the iconic melody while creating an adaptive framework that allows it to scale in a modern context.
Dynamic Sound Design
Core to the State Farm identity system is the three ovals in their visual logo. As part of the brand refresh, State Farm introduced a more dynamic sense of motion to the brand anthem that allowed us to create a supportive sound design foundation that is adaptable and bold. The three beats followed by the clap adds a level of depth to the hero melody while supporting the idea of connection.
Flexible Sound System
To ensure the brand anthem could live across diverse channels, we built a flexible sound system that balances boldness with warmth and works across emotional tones, media formats, and audience types.
Sound Samples
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Future Forward
Bolder, more modern sound design elements that support the 3 rings of their visual id
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Calming Confidence
Underlying warm sound pallet that is modern yet timeless
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Genuine Empathy
Tonal range that can flex to with a range of messaging
Dynamic Sound Design
Hero Sound Logo
The Outcome: A Recognizable, Scalable Sonic Identity
The final execution of the State Farm sonic identity showcases how unique sound elements can come together to demonstrate a more modern brand approach that honors legacy while embracing flexibility. The new State Farm sound logo is heard millions of times daily across the US and was recently ranked as the second most recognizable sound logo in the US.
“The overall score was driven by high numbers in recall and familiarity, as well as the highest brand association in the index (81%).”
– Veritonic Audio Logo Index
Crafting the Anthem and Variations
Once we finalized the hero sound logo, we pivoted over to creating the hero brand anthem, variations and sound logo variations to accompany the massive range in messaging State Farm produces for public facing and internal content. Ultimately we created 6 variations for the sound logo and brand anthem that serve as a toolkit for extended use for internal teams.
To the right is the primary brand anthem that was released with the rebrand and below are the sound logo and brand anthem variations.
Sound Logo Variations
Brand Anthem Variations
Let’s Talk About Bringing Your Sonic Identity to Life.
Looking to elevate your your barnd through purposeful sound. We create sound logos that boost memorability, enhances emotion, and supports identity. Contact us to start building your sonic experience.
We were tapped to come in direct the Amazon ux design and brand team in developing the core tennets that would drive the entire sound experience and set the foundation for Amazon’s audio brand DNA and their flagship product, the Amazon Firephone.
Brand Communication
For the Firephone, it was important to create an experience that was in line with the overarching Amazon brand while also supporting the features and clean aesthetic presented in their new flagship product. Simplicity, dynamics and depth were our core design tennets that we used to bolster our design that evolved the way designers think of composing for mobile as we know it today.
Brand DNA
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Dynamics and Depth
Sounds that evolve over time utilizing effects like delay to add depth
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Wonder and Discovery
Layered, ethereal sounds that ebb and flow
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Simplicity and Elegance
Simple compositions that are timeless and reflect a cleaner feel
We wanted the sound suite for the Fire Phone to be highly tailored, but also very simple, understandable and context appropriate.
Google Glass, Google IO Keynote, Waymo, Google Ara, Google Sonic ID, Google Pay
Google’s Most Iconic Product Sounds
We’ve had the pleasure to call Google one of our primary clients since 2012, shaping the brand’s global audio presence across product design, advertising, and immersive experiences. Our work has helped define the foundation and evolution of Google sounds across platforms.
Google’s Sound Ecosystem
Since the beginning, we’ve prioritized seamless experiences across the brand platform. For Google sounds, we use instrumentation and timbre rooted in the organic, with the ability to flex into more digital textures when needed. Compositionally the audio UX across all product is rooted in simplicity to communicate the ease of use that allows their technology to be more transparent and intuitive.
Google Glass Audio UX
Glass was our first experience working with Google. It was also Google’s first jump into using strategic audio so we saw this as an opportunity to set the tone for the brand. We started by developing a core key signature, instrumental palette and melodic phrasing. These foundational decisions still define Google sounds today and have helped cement the brand’s audio design language.
We also wanted to humanize the product and use instrumentation that sounded familiar and approachable. For functionality, we added an atonal, tactile feel to many of the tones while adding major scales to the melodic tones that emphasized moments of delight.
From this point on, every Google product we touched has extended the same core audio identity, rooted in warmth, approachability, and purposeful interaction.
Google IO Keynote Soundscape
In 2015 Google reached out to us to score Sundar Pichai’s keynote speech for Google IO. We worked closely with the data arts team to craft an immersive soundscape that was mixed in 7.1 surround sound to create a truly enveloping experience. This was a unique opportunity to take the principles behind Google sounds and scale them into a live, spatial, audience-driven context.
Google Firefly Audio UX
When Google approached us to create both the in car audio experience and engine tone for their self driving car, we jumped at the opportunity. We agreed that we wanted to continue to scale the Google Audio DNA, but for this experience we had more bandwidth to play with for a richer, more robust sound palette allowing us to lean into more low end and immersion.
For the engine tone, we designed in accordance with federal regulation for EV engine tones required by NHTSA and also infused the Google audio brand flavor creating an experience that is light, approachable and pleasant.
Google Ara Music and Sound Logo
Google’s project Ara was an exciting prospect so when we were tapped to create the score and sound logo for the product we were more than excited. We wanted to create a lush soundscape that develops and layers over time to follow the visual edits and pace while complimenting the balance of organic and digital that is inherent within the product.
The Google Ara is all about interlocking unique parts so we tried to follow this concept by layering instrumentation that have their own timbre and feel, but once interlocked all work seamlessly. This interwoven layering approach became another defining element of Google sounds.
Google Pay
Our most recent collaboration with Google was in creating the audio user experience for the Google Pay App. For the design effort, we played off of the existing audio ux key signature, organic instrumentation and approachable feeling that lives across Google’s range of devices and apps. We added more metallic bells and thumb piano’s to the soundscape that gave the feel of coins and money being exchanged.
The sounds are primarily heard in app, but also featured in a number of their digital and TV commercials. This project further extended the versatility and emotional tone of Google sounds into everyday user interactions.
Let’s Talk Google Sounds
From Glass to Pay, we’ve helped define Google sounds at every level—across product, platform, and campaign. Contact us below, to explore how strategic audio can shape your brand’s identity.
Sonic ID, Audio UX, Brand Theme, Audio Brand Strategy
Application
Radio, TV, Digital, Product
Project Overview
We started working with Crown back in 2015 and have since been developing and evolving their soundscape for every touchpoint within the brand and building out their overarching audio strategy. This includes everything from brand anthem, audio brand DNA, sonic id and audio ux for all of their product line as well as creating their audio guidelines.
Brand Communication
Crown is a private, family owned company so heritage is at the core of their brand. In order to express heritage we recorded strings and piano for a more organic, human leaning sound that is familiar and rooted in history. Innovation was the second brand pillar we wanted to support and did this by creating custom synths that are heavily effected making them sound more future facing. And lastly we wanted to embrace the marketplace that they serve which tends to be more blue collar and value the idea of toughness, grit and hard work. To support this, we utilized heavy drums, distorted basses and deeper tones that tend to ground the resulting audio DNA.
Brand DNA
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Heritage
Strings and piano to give a more acoustic, human feel
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Innovation
Synth layers that sound more future facing
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Toughness
Driving drums and heavy, distorted bass elements
In order to express heritage we recorded strings and piano for a more organic, human leaning sound that is familiar and is rooted in history
