Apple Music's Redesign Started With a Fred again.. Composition

Sound-Driven Visuals Replace CGI

Apple Music built its latest redesign around a composition by Fred again.. and NEST Acoustics, working with TBWA\Media Arts Lab to translate audio into movement. The team used a transducer to send the finished track through mineral oil, creating ripples around the Apple Music logo as light passed through the liquid. Cameras captured the effect in real time, without computer-generated imagery, and the footage became part of the platform's new audiovisual identity.

Months of Testing Shaped the Composition

Apple Music and TBWA\Media Arts Lab spent months testing how different frequencies affected the liquid before Fred again.. and NEST Acoustics finalized the composition. The team built a custom setup with a transducer and watched how each note changed the surface. Higher notes and denser combinations created stronger movement, sometimes distorting the logo enough to make it difficult to read.

After experimenting with different materials, the team chose mineral oil for the glass-like ripples it produced. They placed acrylic versions of the Apple Music note logo and wordmark inside a shallow bath, then sent the finished composition through the liquid. Each note changed the surface differently, bending the light and altering how the shapes underneath appeared on camera. Keeping the logo legible also affected the composition, since every note needed to create visible movement without overwhelming the image.

Black-and-White Identity Extends Across the Platform

The redesign introduces a black-and-white treatment alongside an updated note icon and lowercase wordmark. Apple Music uses a custom treatment of SF Pro for the lettering, while the short composition doubles as its new sonic mnemonic. The platform plans to use the same visual and sonic elements across its original content, event programming, marketing and product experiences.

The collaboration connects with Fred again..'s focus on small details and everyday sound. The composition did not accompany a finished design but physically changed what appeared on camera from the beginning, giving Apple Music's new look a direct connection to the music at the center of the platform.