Stringr approached me to create their sleek sonic brand and UI/UX audio theme. They needed creative tones to alert users of new activity on their accounts. The overall UI/UX design is subtle. So for the audio something clean, elegant, simple, and pleasing to the ear was the aim. We wanted the notification tone to be an experience in and of itself. When users hear it, we want them to immediately identify it with the application. Brands like Apple and BMW come to mind.
As I approached the sound designing process it was very clear to me where I was going to begin. The application being Stringr and the user interaction of stringing photos together was perfect to use acoustic strings as the base. I recorded a plethora of different instruments, from a piano, violin, cello, oud, mandolin and ultimately settled on the guitar. I recorded various chords and melodies using very high end microphones, instruments, and processing. I then manipulated these sounds by undergoing one of my favorite creative processes, acoustmatic design. Acousmatic sound is sound one hears without seeing their originating cause - a invisible sound source. In this process I visualized the sound first and then subsequently acousmatized it and very often you could do the opposite.
I took these guitar chords and manipulated them through a plethora of different designing procedures to create something unique, all with the intention of being synonymous with the applications activities. Also, some of the sounds I layered with a flute melody I composed in the same key as the guitar. The 5 user activities that I designed for was: likes, comments, follows, mentions and add-ons. I worked closely with the team at Stringr, I created a plethora of sounds where we would collaborate which sound felt best with each activity. I could go on and on how I achieved these sound, but listen for yourself. And know, that the original sound source was a guitar and was acoustmatically designed. The result:
"Kameron was a pleasure to work with. He's incredibly talented and turnaround was super fast. He created some amazing sounds for our iPhone application. We look forward to working with him again."
Stringr is a photo-sharing application that lets you share large groups of images in the form of "strings." Strings are essentially photo albums that can quickly and easily be viewed, liked, and commented on. This format allows you to view more photos from more friends in less time.
Discovering new content on Stringr is an experience unlike any other, yet still familiar. You can search through strings that are popular, near you, or just waiting to be discovered. If a string doesn’t grab your attention, just scroll to the next one. If you already know what you’re looking for you can search strings by name or #hashtag.
But what if I want to create and share my own content, you ask? Simple. Just take your photos, build your string, and share it. There’s no limit on the length of strings; they can be as long or short as you want. All you have to worry about is taking the right photos and arranging them as you see fit. Stringr takes care of the rest.
