February 3rd, 2022

Designing Brand Identity: Pages 148–163, 166–181, 184–191

“Logos should be heard as well as seen” (P.160, Geoff Lentin)

Alina Wheeler

When discussing brand identity and the construction of the DNA of an organization, one would not be wrong to primarily think of color, logo design, merchandise, etc. These are all elements that are visual representations of what the brand physically looks like to the audience. However, an element and characteristic of brand design that is often overlooked are sound.

Sound is deeply rooted in design. Of course, sound cannot be physically seen on a logo design or on the uniform of the employees. But, sound can echo through a brick and motor store to set the mood for the consumers, or sound can be in the form of interactive communication with an online platform such as Google.

Our author Alina Wheeler gives us a list of numerous branding sounds that can be utilized by designers and marketing professionals. Motors, Retail environments, Jingles, Signals, Websites, and games, Talking products, Multimedia presentations, Spokespersons, Recorded messages, and even Characters. All of these examples of sound design elevate an organization’s character and add an extra layer of unique design to its brand. 

The example of sound branding that stuck out to me the most, is spokespersons. Spokespersons are people that use their voice, popularity, or opinion to endorse a product or service. However, a spokesperson does not need to have a following to be considered a spokesperson. In fact, a hired employee can be considered a spokesperson as well.

Chick-Fil-A, arguably the most recognizable and popular fast-food restaurant in North America, other than McDonald’s, is one of the best brands and organizations that use spokespeople are sound branding. For example, when one orders food, every employee utters the saying, “My Pleasure”. Because of the presence, the weight, and the repeated nature of the slogan, those words have infamously been attached to Chick-Fil-A’s branding. It creates a community, and returning customers are expecting the employees to exclaim it to them.

Chick-Fil-A does push music through its speakers to give character and substance to the workers and families inside. However, their most effective use of sound comes from the sentences spoken by their own employees. Sound is everywhere, and sometimes it is more prevalent than the static design itself.