Milo Heller, Germany

Milo Heller, born in Switzerland, has been living in Hamburg since 1989. First working as a sound engineer and since 1993 as a composer and sound designer affiliated with the Hastings Audio Network, he developed the sound logo for AUDI in 1994 and thus was one of the founders of this fast evolving format. Having created the acoustic dimension for many brands ever since, he has acquired high competence in the field of sound branding. The international jury of the red dot award: communication design 2009 awarded his Videoload Sound Logo the „red dot: best of the best.

red dot: What is the personal quality behind your professional success?

Milo Heller: Passion and my attention to detail.

red dot: What has been your most fascinating project to date?

Milo Heller: There have been many fascinating projects. The most comprehensive and most intensive was definitely the development of the sound branding for the energy service provider Vattenfall. Several agencies from Germany and Sweden as well as a panel from five countries, which represented the client, were involved. This sounds like an organisational nightmare, but it worked surprisingly well. Even though the whole project lasted for more than twelve months, I always had the feeling that my efforts were met with keen interest. This was very motivating and helped to keep up the energy.

red dot: What trends and development potential do you see in your industry?

Milo Heller: The controversy over the Mercedes sound logo has clearly damaged the field of sound branding. I welcome that from now on the establishment of a brand sound will be approached with more care; because it requires expertise to avoid possible stumbling blocks.
The sound logo format is only 16 years young; what we are currently experiencing are the first problems of reaching adulthood. I am convinced that sound branding will penetrate completely new areas. After all, why should sound branding be limited to the traditional advertising field of television and radio? Any product that can have a sound is a potential multiplier of the brand message. There are big opportunities waiting for companies that wand to take advantage of this potential.