Sonic Logo Creation: A Useful Element of Business Branding
January 19th, 2009. Published under Branding. No Comments.
A sonic logo is essentially a short jingle or audio identity used for brand development that is generally between 3 and 7 seconds long. In essence, it is the use of sound to convey the personality and values of a brand. Companies, associations, and brands use sonic logos to build awareness of their services and apply them across a wide array of sonic touchpoints including television, radio, the web, and mobile technology.
Before a note is played or any audio is recorded in the actual creation of the sonic logo by musicians and sound designers, there are other factors to consider. It is necessary to first research the history and character of the brand with which you are working. So that the finished sonic logo captures the brand’s identity, designers must determine the personality of the brand. The process of creating sonic logo includes the following steps.
1. In order to begin the process of creating the sonic logo, one must first determine the core values of the brand. For example, is the brand environmentally aware, conservative, or part of a particular cultural movement?
2. Secondly, research the sonic history of the company to how sound or music has been used in the past to reflect the identity of the brand. Past use of sound could prove as a springboard for inspiration or a direction not to take if the company is unhappy with past sonic elements.
3. Moving on, establish the types of sounds will best represent the brand’s values. For a cell phone provider, for instance, a variety of rings or button sounds might work well.
4. Subsequently, decide if the human voice will be part of this new sonic logo. Will there be a line such as “I’m loving it.”
5. Fifth, ensure that the sonic logo is unique and memorable since it is meant to identify one brand and one brand alone.
These five steps provide a basic outline of the important elements of the process of creating sonic logos. No matter what you do, make sure that the finished product is different in some way from anything that’s come before and that your client is proud of their new sonic identity. If you’ve achieved those two things you’ve done your job.