What is sonic branding?
Sonic branding defines a language of sound that is consistent with a brand’s positioning. It can guide a sonic signature, voice, music and interaction cues, depending on the channels and situations in which the company meets people.
The theme of Naviews 136 expands a question about identity: how can a brand remain recognisable when the image is not the main focus? This article proposes treating sound as part of a system, with guidelines for use and a clear purpose.
Before choosing music, define a direction.
A strategy discussion can identify the attitude the brand wants to express. Approachable or more formal? Reflective or dynamic? These choices do not automatically determine a soundtrack, but they offer criteria for exploring voice, rhythm and texture.
The direction also depends on context. A presentation opening, a company video and a confirmation in an app have different needs. Not every touchpoint needs sound, and silence can also be a design decision.
What belongs in the system?
A guide can bring together principles, examples, versions and situations where sound should not appear. The team needs to distinguish what belongs to the identity from what was selected for a particular campaign.
A practical review considers volume, duration, the relationship with speech and alternative uses. Rights to use music and voice need to be clear. In digital experiences, essential information must remain available to people who cannot hear the audio or prefer to leave it off.
Sound, movement and visual expression.
An identity gains coherence when its elements share a direction. The rhythm of an edit can align with a sonic signature. The behaviour of typography can follow a pause. This connection needs to be tested in real material rather than existing only in a guide.
The first step can be small: choose a relevant channel, define criteria and try an application. The review aims to understand whether the language makes sense for the brand and works for the people encountering it.
Are sonic branding, jingles and sonic signatures the same thing?
Sonic branding is the direction that organises the brand’s language of sound. A sonic signature is a short identifying element. A jingle is a musical piece associated with a message or campaign. A brand can use these resources together, provided the proposition, context and usage rights are consistent.
What should a sonic identity brief include?
The brief should cover positioning, personality, audiences, channels, use cases and experience constraints. It should also consider versions, duration, the relationship with speech and alternatives without audio. In interfaces, sound can support a confirmation, but people must be able to understand essential information through other means.
The conversation starts with the branding direction and can connect with how the identity behaves in motion. The aim is to build a recognisable expression across different touchpoints.
About this article.
An editorial adaptation of the theme of Naviews 136, with practical guidance from Estúdio Navas. The edition’s selected news stories appear in “On our radar”, with their sources.