From Fastcompany · · 2m
Apple Music's new logo is literally made of sound
Apple Music unveils a rebrand created by playing music through liquid, turning ripples into a visual identity.
In brief
Apple Music unveils a rebrand created by playing music through liquid, turning ripples into a visual identity. Apple Music launched a new visual and sonic identity designed by converting sound frequencies into ripple patterns in mineral oil, rolling out across content and marketing this week. Originally reported by…
Apple Music gets a sound-based rebrand
Apple Music unveiled a new identity including a wordmark, sonic logo, and rippling visual language created through sound. The rebrand launches across original content and events this week.
Who designed the new Apple Music brand
The rebrand was created by Apple Music's team, design agency TBWA backslash Media Arts Lab, music producer Fred again, and his collaborator Nest Acoustics.
The design challenge Apple Music faced
The new look needed to be universal enough to represent Apple Music's full service but distinct enough to be instantly recognizable. The months-long process required mineral oil, acrylic props, and lots of liquid.
Apple Music wanted sound made visible
The team decided to construct the identity from actual music using practical effects, similar to Apple TV's rebrand in late twenty twenty-five. They needed to develop a signature sound users could also visualize.
Ripples became the answer
The team built a custom rig and software to control a transducer, a device that converts audio signals into physical vibration. The transducer played various frequencies into a liquid bath.
Testing revealed sonic constraints
Musicians and engineers tested different sounds and notes, watching how the liquid responded. Too many notes or notes pitched too high created excessive movement and made the image hard to read.
Constraints shaped the sonic logo
The findings established specific constraints for both the visual language and sonic logo. These constraints gave the musicians a core framework to arrange the final sonic logo composition.
Converting sound into visual ripples
Once the sonic logo was complete, the team converted it into a visual ripple pattern. The transducer was placed into a bath of mineral oil, chosen for its viscosity to give the impression of glass.
Submerging the logo in oil
Inside the mineral oil bath, the team submerged acrylic versions of Apple Music's note logo and wordmark. The wordmark was updated with a custom, chunky version of SF Pro, Apple's typeface.
The rebrand rolls out in phases
The new branding begins appearing across Apple Music's original content and event programming this week. It will later roll out to Apple Music's marketing, product, and experiences.
What matters most
Apple Music launched a new visual and sonic identity designed by converting sound frequencies into ripple patterns in mineral oil, rolling out across content and marketing this week.
