SYFY

SYFY Sonic Branding Case Study

Context

Inspire and execute a comprehensive sonic identity to help establish SYFY as the biggest, most inclusive destination for a passionate, diverse audience of modern genre fans.

Strategy

Design for activation across all potential touchpoints where the brand can be heard, thinking beyond linear TV to digital, film, social, mobile, and connected home devices.

Solution

The first TV audio brand designed and optimized for all communication platforms, including a sonic brand strategy, audio logo mnemonic, original score, toolbox, and music guidelines.

A Universe of Sound

How do you create a signature sound palette that resonates with genre fans?

Science fiction is exploding in pop culture, giving rise to an incredibly diverse fandom. SYFY invited us to help reimagine their brand and define opportunities to resonate with their passionate audience. The new brand essence of SYFY is articulated by a bold audio logo mnemonic we composed to invoke both classic and modern sci-fi, and flexible enough to pair with all programming including fantasy, horror, paranormal, and superhero genres.

Cross-Platform Attribution

We designed the sound of SYFY to be recognizable even without a visual logo.

The new SYFY soundscape is the first TV network sonic brand developed to function seamlessly across a range of new touchpoints beyond linear television. We created mnemonic variations, branded sounds, and original music that can be experienced across the brand’s VOD and OTT platforms, original programming, films, social video, podcasts, apps, and connected home devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home.

Toolbox and Style Guide

We created an audio toolbox with 25 brand sounds plus a kit of 250 SFX for creating promos, trailers, and digital video content for SYFY WIRE.

We also supervised genre-specific playlists –– collecting 375 selections from the NBCUniversal music library –– and curated 120 tracks to inspire on-brand music licensing from current and classic artists. A detailed style guide aids usage and cohesion for all elements of the new sonic brand identity.