In today’s world, Wikipedia is one of the most used online encyclopedias. It is a known fact that Wikipedia projects increasingly power other websites and general knowledge queries on voice-activated devices. Thus, having a sound logo will help listeners know when they are accessing knowledge from Wikipedia or Wikimedia sites everywhere. Wondering, what’s a sound logo? Let’s get to know it and How Wikipedia is going to find its unique sound logo.
What is a Sound Logo?
A Sound logo, also known as a sound trademark, represents a brand through a short collection of sounds. It is said that people hear 20-100x faster than they can see, and the right sound can evoke the right emotions. The number of voice assistants has proliferated along with the advancement in audio technology around the world, making sound logos more popular.
Netflix’s “ta-dum”, McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle, and The Windows 95 startup sound are a few examples of the Sound logo.
Wikimedia
Wikimedia is a global nonprofit organization, that makes knowledge free and accessible all around the world. Through Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects, it provides access to over 55 million articles in 300 languages, all for free and without advertisements. In addition to advancing access to knowledge, the organization builds technology, supports volunteers, and advocates for policies that promote and protect technology.
The Sound of All Human Knowledge
An international contest to identify a sound logo for Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects known as ‘The Sound of All Human Knowledge’ is being launched by the Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit that supports Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects.
Through the contest, Wikimedia hopes to collaborate with resharers to increase transparency by making people aware of where the information originates.
The contest submissions will be reviewed by a selection committee of seven Wikimedia volunteer contributors and five sound experts assembled by the International creative music agency, MassiveMusic. Committee members will review submissions and narrow down their selection to ten sounds that are easily recognizable, adaptable across audio settings, and reflect Wikimedia’s values. A final voting round will be then held to select the final winner from these ten sounds.
The grand prize winner who will be announced this year will receive $2,500 USD and a trip to the recording studio to record the final sound logo with MassiveMusic’s assistance. The 10 finalists will also receive limited-edition headphones.
