Case Study
Square Sonic Branding
Square Sonic Branding
Category
UX Sound Design
Opportunity
Audio UX® teamed up with Square to give their products personality through the power of sonic branding.
The Sound of Square
The Story
Square needed sonic branding to empower sellers using their newest product.
The Square Handheld is more than a card reader, and sound tells that story. From tracking inventory to taking orders, the audio user experience helps sellers and shoppers alike navigate the payment platform. We've reimagined basic barcode beeps and cliche cash register sounds into a suite of innovative UX sounds.
The Strategy
Sounds start with strategy. We partnered with the Square team to take stock of their interaction inventory, identifying which moments required sound and why. Through interactive workshops, we mapped the hierarchy of auditory alerts and organized them into distinct design families. These outputs were combined with the analysis of other payment platforms to uncover creative opportunities—not just for aesthetics, but for the implementation and impact of Square’s audio user experience.
Clear, consistent sound cues are an important part of helping sellers confidently navigate Square, and Audio UX helped us design a sound language that feels intuitive, informative, and aligned with our brand.
Audio Branding Components
Our sonic narrative draws from building blocks—a nod to Square and Block, Inc. Audio components layer square waves with wooden block recordings, creating a distinct and infinitely rearrangable toolkit built for brand recognition.
Wooden Blocks
Tone Woods
Binaural ASMR
Planing Motion
UX Sounds
The Audio Branding Components come together to create a suite of UX Sounds. From booting up to clocking out, these thoughtful sounds shape the experience and augment accessibility.
Bootup
Payment
Notification
New Order
From Commerce to Commercials
The Square audio identity doesn't just live on the product. The experience comes to life on screen, and the UX Sounds punctuate pivotal moments in the storytelling. Hearing the real sounds in advertising not only boosts brand recognition, but builds trust with audiences.Together, we're shaping the future of sonic branding.
Sonify Your Story
Ready to start selling your brand with sound?
