With Sense & Soul at the core, Dragon Rouge crafted a visual identity for Sixième Son that captures the brand’s balance of creativity and precision. In this interview, Alex Bride, Senior Designer, and Becky King, Creative Director, share the inspirations and design choices behind the new look. Here’s what they had to say:
What was the main challenge in creating the new visual identity for Sixième Son?
Sixième Son had the elements of a recognisable identity: a dynamic pink and an iconic Angel
symbol. But great music needs more than a few loud notes, it needs a richer deeper set to
create from. The visual identity needed the backbeat of a strong idea to inspire further
visual elements and deepen the brand’s expressive side – more alive, more playful, more
flexible…more fitting.
The challenge was to create a visual identity for a sonic identity pioneer; not through a sonic
identity itself, but through a visual system that’s grounded in the musicality, flair and
creativity that’s in everything they produce.
Can you tell us the story behind “Sense & Soul” and how you expressed it graphically?
A balance of deep musical ability and creative flair embodies the spirit of Sixième Son. They
bring together a sharp sense for brands, audiences and effectiveness with rich musical skill
and playfulness. It’s the duality of ‘Sense & Soul’.
‘Sense & Soul’ is about getting to the perfect mix of left and right brain – the craft and
creativity – that reflects what Sixième Son bring to their clients and how they build success.
The solidity of knowledge and expertise with a more soulful instinct for connecting through
music…and the musical talent to make it happen.
Graphically, we express this in the balance of structured craft, with an injection of energy
and upbeat playfulness. For example, it’s there in the crisp, clean and modern typographic
treatment, dancing up against the addition of handwritten, more personalised style.
One of the unique features that stands out is the musical score with the lines.
Could you elaborate on how this innovative idea came about and what makes it so special?
We wanted to bring the blank canvas for all musical composition into the identity: the stave.
The whole brand expression starts with these five dynamic lines that make up the system
within which play happens. They bring the basic structure to our communications, and then
flex and flourish like a musical soundwave or the flick of the conductor’s baton. This
approach gives us a coherent structure which moves and flows with vibrancy, to show an
ever-present creative spark.
Can you tell us more about the core elements: logo, typography, color, and lines?
We created a rich toolkit of assets for wider brand expression, building on many existing
recognisable features but adding deeper meaning and an extra dose of energy.
We retained the pink, which was distinct and sharp, but added a splash of passionate red to
the hero visuals.
We refined the longstanding Angel motif to a more upright and proud icon, as well as
making a more practical hallmark.
The wordmark itself is bold and simple, but has life in patterns and placement – the
structure to our creative ‘phonetic wordmark’ that adds character and a zip of energy to our
brand name.
The ‘phonetic wordmark’ plays off the fact that the name has a unique sound, and so it
enhances that fact and makes a virtue of it. It reflects that a distinctive chord can be played
many ways. Besides, a sonic branding agency with a unique sounding name? Perfect.
What are your thoughts on the final result?
We are really proud of the overall feel of the brand expression – and excited about the
impact it can make. From the strong story that inspires how all our assets are designed, to
the crafted assets that always demonstrate the balance of smart sense and creative soul.
This is an identity that is highly distinctive and yet continuously flexes to match the tone of
their client partnerships. It has music at its heart, comes to life in motion and always reflects the passion of the people at Sixième Son.
