Dark Bridge Records

Pixabay / ninosouza

Advertising and audio branding

Three notes somebody recognises without looking up at the screen.

The sonic signature

Brand sound works when it is recognised before the logo appears. That does not call for a memorable tune but for a short, sturdy, flexible element that stays itself in an orchestra and in a phone speaker alike.

  1. Listening to the brand

    What it already has, what it says, and to whom. We establish the limits before writing any notes.

  2. Signature sketches

    A few short directions, each tested under the worst conditions — a phone speaker, not studio monitors.

  3. Building the family

    Variants derived from the approved signature: long, short, interface sounds, hold music, social cutdowns.

  4. Usage guidelines

    A document saying which variant goes where — so the brand still sounds like itself a year later.

Advertising beds

Original music for a campaign — without licensing uncertainty, and without the same library track turning up in a competitor's film.

Common questions

Why not use library music?

A library track is cheaper and entirely right for a one-off. Audio branding starts paying off when a brand uses sound continuously and wants it to be theirs rather than rented.

Who owns the sonic signature?

In branding work the rights are normally assigned to the client — otherwise the whole idea of a signature fails. The scope is fixed in the contract.