We’re thrilled to share that Made Music Studio has been (double!) shortlisted at the Design Week Awards 2023, in the category of Sonic Identities. We were honored for two very different creative approaches for two unique brands, with some incredible longtime collaborators.

First up is our latest collaboration with our clients at General Mills: the genre-jumping, absurdly funny sonic identity for Totino’s Pizza Rolls that was designed with the brand’s Gen Z audience in mind. The other is the award-winning brand theme for NBA on ESPN, a sound that’s ushering in a new era of basketball players and fans.

You can check out the full shortlist here. Read on to learn more about our shortlisted sonic branding work with Totino’s Pizza Rolls and NBA on ESPN.

Shortlisted: Totino’s Pizza Rolls Sonic Identity

Totino’s Pizza Rolls needed a sonic identity that reflected their brand values of friendly, familiar, and absurdly funny. Their new sound would be key to futureproofing the Totino’s brand, and to ensuring their audience of screenagers (of all ages) felt seen as they escape to their happy place of screens, games — and pizza rolls.

General Mills teamed up with Made Music Studio to create a gamified sonic identity designed to stretch across every sound-on platform and instantly call to mind the Totino’s brand. Crafted with Gen Z vibes in mind, their brand theme “Area 425” is a genre-jumping, irreverent multiverse of music and sound, filled with subliminal memes and audio easter eggs.

Shortlisted: NBA on ESPN Signature Brand Theme

In 2022, ESPN debuted a new global brand identity for its NBA coverage across screens and platforms. As part of a brand refresh that included a sleek new visual design, they created a signature brand theme that could usher in a new era for players & fans.

ESPN teamed with longtime collaborators Made Music Studio to create a record-credible sound that reflects modern basketball culture, while paying homage to sports music of NBA’s past. With an ear-catching brass melody and hiphop-inspired drums & bass, the new sound of the NBA on ESPN captures the swagger of the star players, the energy of the crowd, and the excitement of a close game.

“It’s a sonic slam dunk that will elevate our NBA programming for years to come,” said ESPN’s Coordinating Music Director Claude Mitchell.

Read the full case study on how the new sound of NBA on ESPN came to life.