BTS: Apple Music turns sound into a logo with Fred again..

Apple Music has used sound waves and a shallow bath of mineral oil to create its new visual identity, working with Fred again.., NEST Acoustics and TBWA\Media Arts Lab.

Built around the idea ‘Made by Sound’, the process involved playing individual notes through a device that turned audio into physical vibrations. These sent ripples through the oil, creating patterns and refractions which the team captured on camera.

Those moving images became the raw material for a new animated brand mark. A companion film reveals the months of experimentation behind it, following the journey from musical composition to finished identity.

The refresh also includes an expressive musical note icon, a lowercase wordmark and a wider sound identity. Together, they give the streaming platform a look and sound shaped by the music it carries.

The work joins a growing run of brands putting physical craft on show, from Apple TV’s glass ident to Oura’s handmade miniature city. The making-of becomes a compelling piece of content in its own right.

Following Apple’s surreal Safari privacy campaign, this project puts the production process at the centre of the story.

The identity begins rolling out across Apple Music’s original content and event programming this week.

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