Citrix
The Sound of Space
Our Role
Brand Identity, Concept Development, Sonic Branding
Collaborators
Freefarm, Invencion, Universal Everything, Citrix Design
The sweet sound of strategy
In 2019, Citrix enlisted Athletics to support its evolution from tech provider to strategic partner. Positioning Citrix as “the intelligent workspace that creates space,” we translated the new strategy into a sleek, spare visual identity. In parallel, we explored smart ways to create “the space to succeed” using sound. For this creative challenge, we found the perfect partner in Simon Pyke of Freefarm, the UK-based sound design firm. Pyke, a veteran of innovative labels like Skam and Warp, created One Day, an exclusive eight-track composition for Citrix, featuring sounds designed to inspire listeners throughout the ebbs and flows of their workday. Pressing One Day on vinyl, we sent the record to Citrix employees around the world as part of a gift set introducing them to the rebrand. One Day debuted publicly at a listening party sponsored by Citrix at the 2021 Hopscotch Festival in Raleigh, NC.
Listen to One Day on Spotify here
“Athletics allowed me a great deal of creative freedom to create something which expressed my own musical personality within the framework of the brand’s tone of voice. They were insistent that it must feel like an artist project rather than something cold or corporate. It felt more like a collaboration with a record label, which is a good thing! ”
Simon Pyke, Sound Artist, Freefarm
“We thought about the arc of a typical day and how music could help with the peaks and troughs of energy, concentration, and moments of winding down and relaxation. ”
Simon Pyke, Sound Artist, Freefarm
Listen before you think
Having explored the mood of the emerging sonic identity via One Day — the auditory equivalent to defining look and feel in visual design — the new sound of Citrix assumed a more distinct form in the new “Experiments at Work” series. A suite of interactive digital experiences initiated by Athletics in close collaboration with David Holt, Senior Director of Brand Expression at Citrix, Experiments at Work draw Citrix employees deeper into the new brand. The series kicked off with “EXP.01: Make Your Mark,” in which Citrix employees are invited to design their own animated Citrix logo by answering prompts about their personal definition of success at work. To bring this experience to life, we partnered closely with the Citrix team and renowned UK-based digital art practice and design studio Universal Everything. As the logo is manipulated based on the user’s responses, the audio responds as well, creating a vivid multisensory experience soundtracked by the new, generative Citrix sonic identity.
Creating a sonic identity that survives and thrives
To succeed, the new Citrix sonic identity must be able to be applied easily and effectively by Citrix team members for a range of communications, from marketing to interfaces, environments to experiences. That’s where we find ourselves today, in the midst of creating an interactive “soundboard” available to non-expert sound designers charged with scoring assets for Citrix. When completed, this soundboard will give Citrix a practical tool to play with the senses well beyond the standard visual and verbal palette. Throughout this project, we’ve reaffirmed our belief that sound has the potential to be the sensory “glue” that binds together the pieces of an identity in conscious and subconscious ways.
