Apple Music Logo Gets a Water Ripple Redesign
Apple has revealed a new Apple Music logo, and it looks like ripples spreading across water. The design features a musical note floating beneath gentle waves, a look that pairs naturally with the company’s Liquid Glass software interface. The reveal marks one of the more distinctive branding updates Apple has introduced in recent years.
The new mark is not a static graphic in the traditional sense. It is built around motion, with sound itself shaping how the visuals behave. That approach makes the Apple Music logo feel alive in a way most app branding does not.
How the Apple Music Logo Was Created
Apple says the logo was made using practical effects rather than digital rendering. The company etched the logo onto the glass floor of a small tank. That tank was then filled with mineral oil, and a transparent cover was placed over the logo. Next, Apple used an instrument to play a short series of tones, which caused the oil to ripple. The team filmed everything, and those filmed ripples became the foundation of the new branding.
The result is a design where the movement comes from real sound waves rather than animation software. That detail explains why the ripples look organic and slightly unpredictable.
The Team Behind the Project
This project was a collaboration between Apple, music producer Fred Again, and a company called NEST Acoustics. Bringing together a technology giant, a working music producer, and an acoustics specialist gave the project a blend of creative and technical input.
“For the rebrand of Apple Music, we wanted sound to create the visuals,” a narrator says in an introduction video. “How do we take this idea of music and distill it into something visually beautiful? Essentially the idea was to create the perfect sound wave.”
That statement sums up the thinking behind the redesign. Instead of designing a fixed image, the team let sound itself shape the visuals.
Where the Rippling Design Will Appear
The motion-filled rippling logo will be used at the beginning of Apple Music videos and content such as concert footage. Because the design depends on movement, it works best in video formats rather than as a still image.
The app icon, however, is a separate story. It is changing from red to black-and-white, and that particular change has not been a hit with people on the internet.
App Icon Change Draws Criticism
The shift from red to black-and-white is a notable departure for Apple Music, whose red icon has been recognizable for years. Early reactions online suggest the new monochrome look is divisive. Apple has not indicated any plans to reverse the change based on the feedback so far.
For longtime users, the red icon carried a strong association with the service. Replacing it with a black-and-white version changes how the app stands out on a home screen, and not everyone sees that as an improvement.
When the Changes Arrive
All of these changes are coming with the company’s next software releases, including iOS 27.2 and macOS 27.2. That means users will see the updated app icon and the new branding as part of the same update cycle.
The timing places the rollout alongside a broader design push built around the Liquid Glass interface. The rippling Apple Music logo fits that direction, since both emphasize depth, light, and motion rather than flat, static surfaces.
Why the Design Approach Stands Out
Most app branding updates rely on flat graphics, gradients, or subtle animation. This one starts with a physical process and captures the result on camera. The ripples are not simulated, which gives the final footage a texture that is difficult to recreate digitally.
Using mineral oil and played tones also ties the visual directly to the product’s purpose. Apple Music is a service built around sound, so letting sound generate the image is a coherent creative choice rather than a decorative one.
The new Apple Music logo shows how far Apple is willing to go to make branding feel alive. By letting sound create the visuals through practical effects, the company turned a simple mark into something that moves. Whether the black-and-white app icon wins people over is another question, but the rippling design itself is a striking piece of creative work that ties directly to what the service does.
