On October 21, 2026, Apple Music unveiled a new identity built with TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Fred again.. and NEST Acoustics. Its rippling logo was made by playing an original composition through liquid and filming the waves, and the same composition serves as the brand's sonic signature. For any brand, the useful lesson is to let one clear idea drive both the visuals and the sound.
A logo you could hear
Apple Music has a new identity, and it was built from an actual piece of music. Apple's long-time agency, TBWA\Media Arts Lab, worked with producer Fred again.. and NEST Acoustics. They played notes from an original composition through a transducer sitting in a tank of mineral oil, filmed the ripples, and used that footage as the basis for the logo. Apple calls it "made by sound."
The part I like most: the same composition is now the brand's sonic signature. The look and the sound come from one source. The identity shows up across Apple Music's own content first, then in the app with iOS 27.2.
Creative Boom, citing Fast Company, notes that too many notes, or notes pitched too high, turned the oil into an unreadable mess. Which is about the most honest description of over-designing a logo I've read.
The idea did the heavy lifting
You could copy the oil trick and miss the point. What makes this work is that the concept is simple enough to say in three words, and every piece of the system follows from it. The ripples aren't decoration. They're evidence.
Most rebrands I see go the other way. The visual identity gets the attention, and sound gets handled later by whoever edits the first video, usually by grabbing a stock track. Then the brand looks one way and sounds like a dentist's waiting room.
Your brand already has a sound
If you make video, run social clips, host a podcast or play anything at a trade show booth, your brand already makes noise. The question is whether you chose it. A few things worth deciding on purpose:
- One short sound cue for the open or close of videos, used every time.
- A music direction in the brand guide, right next to the color palette: tempo, mood, what's off-limits.
- A voice. Who reads your scripts, and how they sound, is part of the identity too.
- The same idea behind all of it. If the logo is calm and precise, the soundtrack shouldn't be stadium rock.
None of this needs a famous producer or a tank of oil. It needs someone to treat sound as a design decision instead of a last-minute edit.
Pick the idea first
My take: the best identities start with one idea strong enough to make the small decisions for you. Apple Music's happens to be literal. Yours can be a word, a feeling or a rule. Once it's clear, the logo, the type, the photos and the sound all have something to agree on.
Questions we hear a lot
How was the new Apple Music logo made?
Fred again.. and NEST Acoustics played notes from an original composition through a transducer submerged in mineral oil. The team filmed the waves the sound created and used that footage as the basis for the logo, which Apple describes as "made by sound."
What is a sonic signature or sonic logo?
It's a short, recognizable sound a brand uses the way it uses a visual logo, at the start or end of videos, ads, apps or podcasts. Apple Music's new sonic signature is the same composition that shaped its visual logo.
Does a small business need a sonic logo?
Not necessarily, but if your brand shows up in video, audio or social clips, a consistent sound helps people recognize it. Choosing one simple sound cue and using it every time is a reasonable first step, as long as it fits the same idea as your visual identity.
Sources
- MacRumors: Apple Music's New Look Officially Announced (Oct 21, 2026)
- 9to5Mac: Apple Music unveils new design rebrand, with logo 'made by sound' (Oct 21, 2026)
- Creative Boom: Apple Music's new logo was shaped by Fred Again and a bath of mineral oil
- Adweek: Apple Music Rebrands With a Look Made by Sound
Filed under Brand & Design
Evan Walker
Founder & Creative Director at Satellite Black, with experience across a broad range of industries working as a Creative Director, Developer, and strategist.
