Apple launched a rebrand of Apple Music on 21st October, 2026, and the new logo started as sound. British producer Fred Again and NEST Acoustics wrote the notes that rippled a bath of mineral oil on camera.
The Brief
- Apple Music has a new logo, wordmark, and sonic signature, and Apple says the new look was “made by sound.”
- Fred Again and NEST Acoustics composed the short piece, and its notes ran through a transducer into a shallow bath of mineral oil.
- The new wordmark pairs the Apple symbol with bold, lowercase lettering in a customized version of SF Pro, Apple’s own typeface.
- iPhone users will see the refreshed Apple Music identity in iOS 27.2, which is due to launch next week.
The logo started as ripples in mineral oil
The piece Fred Again and NEST Acoustics wrote is short, and it now doubles as the service’s sonic signature. Each note went through a transducer, a device that turns audio signals into physical vibrations, and the oil rippled in response. Cameras caught the movement and the way light bent through it, and that footage became the raw material for the design.
Apple says the result was “captured entirely in camera.” Its behind-the-scenes film shows the music note and wordmark beneath the surface as the liquid reacts to sound. It then follows the work from the original composition to the finished identity. The project reportedly took months of experiments with sound, materials and moving image.
Introducing a new identity for Apple Music, physically shaped by an original composition from @fredagainagain1 and NEST Acoustics. https://t.co/LFXLIfexPL
— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) October 21, 2026
Apple has run this play before. Its Apple TV rebrand also came with a behind-the-scenes video showing the logo was made practically. The method fits Apple Music more neatly, since this mark comes from the product itself.
Liquid Glass shaped the new wordmark
The approach draws on Liquid Glass, the translucent design language Apple introduced across its software in 2025. The type changed as well. Apple paired its symbol with a customized SF Pro set in heavy lowercase, which gives the service a younger feel. The reworked music note icon takes its outline from forms caught on film.
Signs of the rebrand surfaced weeks before the launch. A redesigned wordmark appeared in a video, and an updated app icon showed up in an iOS 27.2 beta.
The method is what sets this refresh apart. Apple built the mark from recorded vibrations, which lets it claim that the brand and the product share a source. The sonic signature also gives the identity a form that works with no screen at all.
Two questions are still open: will that signature play inside the app, and does the rebrand bring any new features? Apple’s launch material answers neither.
iPhone users will get the new icon and wordmark by installing iOS 27.2, which Apple is set to release next week. Anyone running the iOS 27.2 beta already has the updated app icon.
