3 February 2003
The Sound of the Siemens Brand

MetaDesign Develops Corporate Sound for Siemens

The new aural logo developed for Siemens rang in the company's annual shareholders meeting on 23 January 2003.

It was the debut performance for the corporate sound project that MetaDesign launched with Siemens in spring 2002.

The goal of the project has been to create a complex sound environment that offers more than just an aural logo or a simple advertising jingle. Siemens has recognized the importance of the aural aspect of sensory perception. "With an eye toward integrated communication, we will pay much closer attention than in the past to the aspect of sound and music when presenting a brand," says Jürgen Barthel, a corporate communications officer at the Munich offices of Siemens. Barthel is responsible for the global design of the Siemens brand and thus for sound design as well.

The sound specialists at MetaDesign first analyzed the aural roots and status quo of the brand. The sound logo - like the entire corporate design system - is derived from the Fibonacci number series.

The characteristic syncopated rhythm makes it possible to use various tonal colors that, in an interplay between "electronic" and "human," reflect the Siemens brand.

Carl-Frank Westermann, head of the corporate sound unit at MetaDesign, says, "The sound branding concept captures the core identity of the Siemens brand and strengthens the brand's emotional appeal by audiovisual means."

In a second stage of the project, Siemens corporate sound will be rounded off with so-called sound moods. In the middle of this year, corporate sound will be used as an additional marketing instrument for the Siemens brand.

MetaDesign is Germany's leading design agency. In addition to offering corporate identity and corporate design services, it develops corporate sound concepts that reconcile visual and aural design for the enhancement of the brand. The "look and feel" of an application becomes the "look, listen and feel," deployable in film, TV, radio, Internet, presentations, trade fairs, events, music on hold and mobile communications.