Intentional | Audio Identity Blog

Exploring branding and identity with music, sound, voice and silence

Razorfish gets it

October 23rd, 2008 | Category: Grab bag

Razorfish’s new site is getting some attention — not for its flashy interface or killer content….but because of its use of sound.


I rarely write about “sound on the web” because most of the conversation on this topic is relegated to “should we or shouldn’t we?” Frankly, I think that’s a pedestrian concern — you design the experience with all appropriate tools, whatever they are, to drive engagement. (If your only tool is a hammer then everything looks like a nail.)


The website isn’t a movie on the web (which is where we find most music and sound online). Nor is it a traditional text+graphics website with audio slapped on as an afterthought. (See my earlier note on American Express.)


Rather, sound is leveraged as an inherent part of the experience — with ambient texture and tiered navigation cues — and it brings a new sense of life to that box you’re staring at right now.


It is, after all, just a website. But it’s also a job well done in a medium that’s left a mess of sonic detritus in its wake. Tip o’ the headphones to Razorfish.


– Noel Franus

2 Comments so far

  1. dc October 28th, 2008 6:32 pm

    Love your blog, just wanted to drop you a line to see if you had heard Hulu’s sonic branding. Check out an embedded Hulu video on a site other than their own and you’ll hear it on the preroll. My blog has a video embedded in the second post…

  2. noel October 28th, 2008 9:54 pm

    dc,

    Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, I’ve checked it out. While I probably shouldn’t comment on the music itself (I’m no master composer — leave that to Martyn, our creative director), I can point out where I think this sonic identity can/can’t be effective.

    In a nutshell, here’s what I think a solid identity usually should accomplish:

    1. Flexibility: can it work across other media/experiences, and still be recognizable?
    2. Adaptability: can it grow over time to meet the needs of the brand, assuming Hulu is still around in X years?
    3. Is it ownable? Can it serve as a financial, protectable asset for the brand?
    4. Is it memorable? Will I be humming this in the shower in a few days?

    OK, so the verdict is: it’s cute. It marks the moment. But it’s ’sound design’ that lives only in that moment. Should hulu become a household brand, and they’re advertising and need music on hold, ringtones, event music, etc…they’ll need to go back to the drawing board. And that won’t be cheap.

    My .02.

    What do you think?

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