SAUDI SPACE COMMISSION SONIC BRANDING
Client: Saudi Space Commission
Agency: Landor
The brief
The SSC aims to position space sector as a key contributor to Saudi Arabia's growth and prosperity and as an enabler of future generations, to benefit humankind. Their key goal is to ”lead the space sector to realize the Saudi Vision 2030 by developing and organizing the sector and providing enablers to realize ground-breaking achievements.” As part of their rebranding, Reiner Erlings developed a music library which musically encompasses their mission statement: music which aims to inspire and excite the listener, whilst also reflecting a strong sense of traditional Saudi heritage. The brief was for the music to be accessible to people of all ages, be “distinctly Saudi” but not traditional, but rather looking forwards the future.
the result
A music library consisting of a main brand track and various variations, as well as a sonic logo. The foundation of the musical tracks were inspired by the actual sounds of space. By analysing recordings made available through the SSC and NASA, custom made instruments were created, which allowed for the drone like space sounds to be fully playable. This was layered with traditional Saudi instruments such as the skin drum, as well as other Middle Eastern instruments such as the Tar and Oud, to create a distinctly Arabic, yet very modern and futuristic “space sound”.
The final deliverables included a brand track, with multiple variations, including call waiting, background music, live event music, corporate communication, special occasion, as well as a bank of sound design elements made from re-created space sounds.
Winner of Gold Medal at Transform Awards 2020 for best audio brand.