The Sixth Sense of Brand Identity: Let’s Talk About Sonic Branding

A Trend Desk on how sound isn’t background—it’s branding’s next frontier.

Sound moves differently.

It doesn’t ask to be seen — it asks to be felt. A single tone can trigger a memory faster than a logo ever could. The hum of a fridge, the rhythm of a the subway, the click of a lighter — sound builds worlds without needing words. For brands, it’s the most human medium we’ve overlooked: the one that bypasses logic and goes straight to emotion.

We’ve designed identities for the eye — color palettes, typeface systems, perfect grids. But sound reaches a place visuals can’t. It carries mood, texture, temperature. It turns static branding into something alive — something that stays when the screen is off.

I mean, before we ever learned to read or recognize shapes, we learned to listen.

Sound carries more than emotion — it carries a state of being. It can make your pulse quicken or drop. It can make a room feel alive or unbearable.

We don’t think of it as design, but it is.

That moment when the air or food extractor turns off and the room goes quiet, and you feel your shoulders unclench? That tiny “uuuuf”? That’s not silence — that’s your body recalibrating. And that is interesting to us strategists. Brands are learning to build in that kind of control. The right sound doesn’t just make you feel something — it decides how long you stay, how safe you feel, how alert you are.

Sonic Branding

Sonic branding is no longer about catchy notes; it’s about emotional attachment. From the low-frequency comfort of an Apple startup chime to the crisp ding of a car door closing, brands are engineering sound the way they once obsessed over typefaces and color — as a sensory signature that defines trust, intimacy, and belonging.

But who are we to talk and talk and not have the proof to hold our ground. We know better, you deserve it. Let dive into the examples:

BMW — Electric Vehicle Sound Design by Hans Zimmer

As cars went silent, BMW realized silence felt soulless. So they called Hans Zimmer. Together they built an entirely new “engine” sound for electric BMWs — one that reacts to acceleration, lighting, and interior ambience.

IBM — The Three Notes of Progress

Three notes. That’s all it takes for IBM to sound like itself.

Each tone stands for a letter — I-B-M — expanding into a full symphony that moves between data and emotion, logic and pulse. It’s not a jingle; it’s identity engineered to be felt.

Playstation — Startup Sound Evolution

Every console starts with a sound, but PlayStation starts with a vibe. The PS2’s otherworldly hum, PS3’s cinematic swell, PS5’s cool pulse — together they trace two decades of emotional evolution. These aren’t startup sounds; they’re sonic invitations to escape reality.

Muji — The Silence Brand

Muji’s genius is restraint. In stores, you hear almost nothing — a faint hum of air conditioning, soft footfall on wood. It’s a deliberate sonic void that amplifies calm and focus.

Brands have nailed the visuals — color systems, motion graphics, the whole polished surface. But sound? That’s the one channel still flying under the radar, even though it hijacks emotion faster than any headline ever could.

Because visuals talk.

Sound manipulates.

The smartest brands are already in on it. They’re using tone to control tempo, design how a space feels, even script how long you’ll stay. It’s not about noise — it’s about mood architecture.

Oh sh*t did I forget Netflix’s TUDUM?

Thank you for spending time at the Trend Desk