Apple Music has unveiled its first rebrand since launching in 2015, introducing a wave-like visual identity created by passing musical frequencies through a shallow pool of mineral oil.
The Physics of a Sonic Logo
The redesign centers on a physical fabrication process executed in collaboration with musician Fred Again and sound design company NEST Acoustics. Rather than relying entirely on digital design software or artificial intelligence generation, the creative team built a custom hardware rig featuring an underwater transducer.
A transducer converts audio signals into physical vibrations. By playing a newly created mnemonic composition through this device into mineral oil, the team generated precise ripples and wave patterns, Creative Bloq reported. This physical motion directly informed the new visual identity.
Apple described the core objective as a desire to distill music into something visually beautiful. The process produced an application icon-shaped visual that captures liquid movement driven strictly by acoustic frequency.
Typography and Spatial Rollout
Alongside the fluid graphic overlay, the platform’s typography has been updated to align with broader Apple visual identity guidelines. The wordmark pairs the Apple symbol with a custom, bold lowercase version of the SF Pro typeface, as noted by Apple.
The physical manifestation of the brand first appeared earlier in the month inside the newly opened Apple Music Hall venue in Battersea, London, where the wave-inspired logo is mounted on an industrial interior wall of the renovated power station.
Subscribers Criticize Minimalist App Icon Update
While the behind-the-scenes fabrication process received widespread attention, the translation of the brand identity to user interfaces has drawn immediate scrutiny from subscribers. The minimalist black-and-white app icon introduced in the iOS 27.2 update has faced criticism on social media platforms for omitting the vibrant, fluid qualities of the physical rebrand, Creative Bloq reported. Text accents within the application have shifted to blue, and the favorite star icon has turned yellow, while the core menu elements retain a restrained aesthetic.
The refreshed visual identity is scheduled to roll out fully across Apple Music original content and event programming alongside the public release of iOS 27.2.
Introducing a new identity for Apple Music, physically shaped by an original composition from @fredagainagain1 and NEST Acoustics. pic.twitter.com/LFXLIfexPL
