Rohde & Schwarz Audio Branding

Rohde & Schwarz is an expert in the fields of electronic test equipment, broadcasting and radio communications, ensuring the smooth operation of everyday processes from airport security to wireless communications. Precision and calibration, as the core of what the company stands for, inspired the creation of the new audio branding, which also includes the visual logo. This is because both the sine wave framed by a diamond and the word mark “R/S” stand for precision; and this very sine wave formed the basis for the musical leitmotif of all R&S compositions, including the sound logo. To express this sonically, the Chladni experiment was carried out, in which grains are placed on a metal plate that vibrates with sound. The invisible sound waves then appear as shapes in the grains. The R&S sound logo was thus created at exactly 440 Hz and uses this frequency of a tuning fork pulse as a metaphor for the precise calibration process that is typical of the company’s work. To further emphasise the quality of precision, the acoustic instruments vividly depicted in the audio branding were not played by humans, but exclusively by machines.