“I think we’ve all experienced how sound is kind of a last-minute decision in many creative projects or creative processes... That was actually the whole reason why we formed Unmute, because we thought, ‘Okay, we need to be the adults here and help brands understand the importance of this and the impact it has.’" – Simon Kringel

This episode’s guest is the Sonic Director and co-founder of Unmute. He began his career composing and producing music for bands and artists, and, later on, for TV and advertising. In 2014, he joined Chimney, a global creation agency, and soon became their head of music, working with a wide range of international clients. Recognizing the growing demand for a specialized sound agency, he co-founded Unmute with Daniel Schougaard in 2018, and their company has been on the rise ever since. It’s now collaborating with brands and agencies all across the globe, connecting them with their audience through sound, music, and audible experiences. He’s created award-winning sonic identities for such brands as Novo Nordisk, Carlsberg Group, Bank of Ireland, KONE, Volleyball World, and UCI, and he’s on a mission to make sure that brands are heard, not just seen.

His name is Simon Kringel, and there’s a lot we’ll be covering here, including using sound in product design, sonic branding as a design discipline, and the differences between North American and European branding when it comes to sound. That certainly isn’t all, so if you’re interested in how sound shapes our buying decisions and our user experience, you’ll want to check out this episode.

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(0:00:01) - Evolution of Sound and Branding

Our conversation starts with Simon’s early memories of sound, and how putting on an audio play of his favorite comic books awakened his enthusiasm for audio production. “We kind of played out the characters,” he recalls, “and, you know, with different voices depending on who you were, and we did some Foley and some sound design when a gun was being shot or glass is broken.” He shares his career journey as a musician and sonic branding expert and talks about the leap of faith that led him to Unmute. “I think it’s also just about,” he explains, “have you teamed up with the right people, and are you ready to take a chance and just go for it? I mean, what’s the worst thing that could happen?”

(0:14:11) - Sonic Branding

We discuss the nuts and bolts of brand design, and how a haphazard approach to audio branding can lead to more work down the road. “What we saw,” Simon says, “was that there was no structure in this, so the brands could not, even though they understand what they’re trying to achieve, see how to actually go about it.” He talks about the relationship between imagery and sound, and the process of crafting a sonic brand that works in harmony with the brand identity. “It’s really interesting,” he tells us, “how we can actually take a visual shape, or visual form or visual expression, and turn that into a sound where you intuitively hear the connection. That’s where the magic happens to us.”

(0:23:41) - Sonic Branding in Product Design

Simon tells us more about his recent branding work with the Denmark-based charging company Clever and offers a firsthand example of the creative process. “So they also, of course, wanted to create their own sonic identity,” he explains, “and it’s not just focused on the, on the marketing and the communication, but definitely also a lot of focus on their products.” He tells us about striking the right balance between familiarity and attention-grabbing, and making sure that the audio UX design is pleasing to the ear. As Simon puts it, it’s about “making sure that every time you interact with Clever, as they’re called, you feel at home, and you feel this familiarity and this sense of, you know, you build that sense of trust because it’s recognizable and, most importantly, it fits their brand.”

Episode Summary

• Simon’s journey from comic books to concerts, from musician to sonic branding.
• How a structured approach to audio branding helps create a cohesive experience.
• What sonic branding success stories like Apple can teach us about audio UX.
• Simon’s work on Clever’s sonic logo and the key to audio/visual brand synergy.

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