Splice and Instrument Partner to Power Creative Expression without Limits

Stagwell agency, Instrument, a multi-disciplinary creative agency redefining brands and experiences, has partnered with Splice for the brand's first-ever global brand campaign, "Start with Sound."

Most commonly connected with the indie music scene, DIY music production has gained traction in recent years, even proving popular among major stars like Billie Eilish and Charli XCX. Drawing energy from this movement, the music production pioneers at Splice aim to take this a step further and propel their mission to democratise sound. Splice aspires to give everyone access to the inspiration, tools, and community to power their creative expression without limits. 

"Start with Sound" builds on Instrument's work in 2021 to rebrand Splice from a tech company talking about music, to a music company with deep roots in tech—a nuanced shift necessary to connect with a broad range of audiences, interests, and genres. In the years between the rebrand and this new campaign, Splice has seen transformational growth. Shortly after the work was unveiled, the company secured a $55 million investment and has since seen a 60% growth in annual user base.

Building on this flexible and bold brand identity, Instrument worked with Splice to create the new launch film, linked here, to act as a centrepiece to the campaign and bring the new work to life.

"Instrument is in a class of its own. The team is meticulously staffed with experts in their respective fields who come to the table ready to collaborate. They have a unique ability to honour a brand's origins while pushing them into the future," said Simone Stafford, associate creative director, Splice. "This isn't the first time we've worked with Instrument to evolve our brand, and it definitely won't be the last. We're obsessed." 

As part of the design system, Instrument implemented a curated colour palette and energetic italics treatment paired with a library of eclectic textual imagery to help visualise sound and carry out a unique expression of the brand. An inclusive mood plays out across all creative assets—energetic, uplifting, and real—with diverse imagery reflecting the range of genres, labels, and influencers Splice serves. And of course, a campaign about sound required a thoughtful focus on sonic creative as well. From bespoke textural soundscapes to intricate sonic cues, Instrument made sure this campaign was a full audiovisual experience.

"We loved working with Splice on the rebrand. To us, this felt like a natural extension of that work. While the branding gave Splice a clear and differentiated voice, this campaign gives it soul, tapping into the universal power and potential of sound to connect with audiences in a deeply emotive way," said Jack De Caluwe, executive creative director, Instrument. "Our best work at Instrument comes out of these long-term partnerships, where we can leverage our collective trust in each other and understanding of the brand to continuously push it forward. It's a thrill to see our initial rebrand soaring to new heights." 

The work rolled out on December 19 across paid and owned social channels. As Splice continues to leverage the power of AI and lean into the limitless future of sound design, it moves increasingly closer to its mission of creating an equitable, accessible, diverse, and limitless future for music.