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The client

Start Without a Shot is a non-profit initiative that replaces the starting pistol at races with a non-triggering sound signal. The aim is to make athletic events accessible to noise-sensitive people, such as survivors of armed violence and neurodivergent individuals.

The challenge

To help convince race organisers to adopt their inclusive start sound, Start Without a Shot included a technical report in their information pack. It described EEG testing results used to select their alternative race start sound. However, the report was written for specialists and was largely inaccessible to general readers. We saw an opportunity to rewrite it for a general audience and make it a more persuasive document that could support wider adoption of their sound.

Our approach

To tell Start Without a Shot's story more persuasively, we expanded the technical report into five sections: the problem, our solution, testing, user feedback and next steps.The problem: We added a literature review showing the scope of the issue.
Our solution: We described the creative approach behind the sound.
Testing: We rewrote the findings from the original technical report for a general audience and added bar chart visualizations.
User feedback: We included quotes from runners at the sound's premiere, Nova Post's first Barrier-Free Marathon in Kyiv in September 2024.
Next steps: We outlined the organization's future goals, based on conversations with their Global Chairman.We also designed the document in Canva to be visually striking and easy to take in.

The client

A leading enterprise alerting platform, via Sanctus, a sound and music design studio.

The challenge

On-call engineers depend on alert sounds that can wake them at 3am or pull them away from family time, and many come to dread them. The client wanted to expand its notification library with sounds that stay clear and effective without adding to on-call stress.

Our approach

We proposed structuring the research around user personas, which the studio drafted from real user feedback. We turned each on-call scenario into a research question, then reviewed research on auditory perception, alarm design, notification fatigue and emotional response to produce sound design guidance for each persona.

Deliverable

An evidence brief synthesizing research on auditory perception and alarm design into sound design recommendations for five on-call personas.

Impact

Our persona-based framework shaped the client's expanded notification library, which now organises sounds into four user-centred categories to help engineers find the right alert for their situation. The client later featured the research-backed sounds in a published article. In the studio's words:

"Your research and guidance really did set us on track for success on this one and everyone was really happy with the work."Wesley Slover, Sound and Music Designer, Sanctus

The client

A global operator of landmark urban visitor attractions, via Ircam Amplify.

The challenge

The operator wanted evidence-based sound design guidelines its global creative team could use to improve visitor experiences across every venue.

Our approach

Working with Ircam Amplify's research and creative leads, we built on the operator's existing visitor journey and emotional goals. For each stage, we identified the role sound could play, then reviewed research in psychoacoustics, music psychology and sensory marketing to guide those decisions.

Deliverables

Impact

Ircam Amplify's team presented our research directly to the operator, whose venues in major cities across Europe and North America welcome more than 3 million visitors a year. The guidelines give its creative team an evidence base for shaping how those visitors experience sound at every stage of their visit.

The client

A luxury brand in the Middle East, via a regional sonic branding agency.

The challenge

The agency was competing against three other firms to create the brand's first sonic identity. It needed a pitch with more depth than its competitors' and, once the project was won, evidence to guide the brand's early creative direction.

Our approach

The pitch: Working with one of the agency's Brand Consultants, we quickly analyzed four brands to map the competitive sonic landscape and suggest a direction for differentiation. We then co-presented at the pitch meeting, bringing scientific credibility to the agency's proposal.

The sonic vision: Once the project was won, we expanded the analysis to seven luxury hospitality, lifestyle and aviation brands, comparing their key sonic traits, emotional tone, strengths and weaknesses. Working closely with the agency's Creative Director, we aligned our findings with their creative ideas so the client heard one coherent story.

Deliverables

Impact

Our analysis added depth and scientific credibility to the agency's pitch, which went on to win the project against three competitors. In the sonic vision phase, we found that while competitors used sound to create a strong sense of place, almost none had a consistent, memorable sonic identity. That gap became the brand's core sonic opportunity and shaped the creative direction presented to the client.

The client

A global healthcare company, via an award-winning sonic branding agency.

The challenge

The agency was creating a new sonic identity for the client, starting with a hero composition that would anchor the whole sound system. It already had a well-established moodboarding process. It brought us in to help capture client feedback in a more structured way and to turn the results into clear creative direction.

Our approach

We worked with the agency's Founder and Managing Partner, Executive Producer and Music Supervisor, and Executive Producer and Composer to develop and run two moodboarding workshops with the client's stakeholders. Building on the agency's existing exercise, we introduced Mentimeter, an interactive polling platform, so participants could rate every clip in real time and place it on a map of the brand's personality. We also helped curate the playlists and co-facilitated both sessions.After the second workshop, we analyzed the top-scoring tracks across musical parameters such as tempo, rhythm, harmony, texture and dynamics to identify the shared traits behind what the client responded to.

Deliverables

Impact

The workshops gave the agency enough clarity to move straight from moodboarding to briefing. Our analysis fed into the hero composition brief, informing parameters such as instrumentation, tempo and rhythmic drive.From the client after the second workshop:

"We found it to be a really great session, and I personally felt like we were getting much closer to the mark… Thanks again to you and the team for a thoughtful and productive discussion."