Saliō | Sonic Branding and Strategy

Brand-level: Express IKEA's unconventional personality—warm and accessible, not polished or premium—in a sonic identity with the same distinctiveness as their visual codes

Creative: Find an approach that reflected IKEA's DNA, not just their aesthetic—something that could only belong to this brand

Operational: Build a system that could deploy consistently across broadcast, digital, in-store, and campaign contexts without losing its character

The Solution

An audio logo for consistent deployment across every touchpoint, and a bespoke arrangement of a classic song with an unmistakably Australian flavour to celebrate 50 years of IKEA in Australia.

The Approach

Capturing the spirit of a design icon through sound made from furniture IKEA's personality is playful, unconventional, warm, accessible - democratic design for everyone. The sonic identity needed to reflect that same spirit: distinctive without being precious, warm without being corporate.

IKEA's DNA is doing things differently. Creating the sonic identity using traditional instruments and conventional production would have missed the point entirely.

A short, distinctive signature built entirely from IKEA products. Not synthesizers. Not orchestras. Furniture. Percussive sounds from furniture components, tonal elements from household items, and—most distinctively—a custom bell tree made from Allen keys. That bell tree became the signature: the unmistakable opening that makes the logo immediately, irreplaceably IKEA.

Using IKEA products as instruments meant the sound would be inherently tied to the brand's physical world. The same materials, the same aesthetic, the same unconventional thinking that makes IKEA distinctive.

The System

Core Assets

Sonic Logo — A short, distinctive signature that could only belong to IKEA.
Voice — An authentic Swedish voice - a voice that reflects IKEA's individual, unconventional personality. Warm, approachable, unmistakably IKEA. Even the voice needed to break the mould.
Campaign Music — "Thank You For Being A Friend" For IKEA's 50th anniversary in Australia, Hockey Dad's Zach Stephenson covered Andrew Gold's classic — bridging nostalgia with contemporary Australian music culture.

Touchpoints

Broadcast advertising
digital content
in-store environments
product launches

How it Sounds

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Brand Campaign : 50 years, it's just the start.

Building Salience

Using IKEA products as instruments created a sound that couldn't belong to anyone else—distinctiveness built into the method, not just the output.
The Allen key bell tree became a consistent opening signature across touchpoints, doing the same recognisability work for audio that the FRAKTA bag does visually.
The choice of a Swedish voice for the sonic logo and an Australian artist for the anniversary campaign reinforced brand heritage and local relevance without either feeling forced.
The approach didn't just reflect IKEA's products—it reflected their personality. Playful rebellion in execution, as much as in output.

Disclaimer

Work shown was created during our founders' tenure at Resonance Sonic Branding and related companies. Trademarks and materials belong to their respective owners. No endorsement or ongoing relationship is implied.