Sonic logos are short audio jingles that are used by brands to identify themselves and are usually less than seven seconds. It is essentially the harnessing of audio to represent and communicate the values and personality of a company. Associations and companies use sonic logos to grow public awareness of their brand, and they use them in many media including the web, radio, mobile technology, and television.
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 a sonic logo includes the following steps:
• Understanding the core values of the brand with which you are working.
For instance, is the brand part of a particular heritage, promoting conservative
values, or technologically oriented?
• Figuring out the history of sound use by the company which may afford some
sense of the brand's identity. Use of audio in the past could be useful knowledge
in what direction to now take.
• Determining what audio ambience or sound effects might work to convey the
values of the brand. A technology company, for example, may have computer or
data sounds incorporated into some sort of futuristic melody.
• Deciding if the human voice will be part of this new sonic logo. Will there be a line,
such as "I'm lovin' it."
• Ensuring that the sonic logo is unique and memorable since it is meant to identify
one brand and one brand alone.