Inventing the sonic identity of an entire network
A brand-new metro network has no sonic history. Everything is there to be written: passenger orientation, the legibility of announcements, the absence of auditory fatigue, the recognition of the network by its atmosphere. The challenge was not to fit 68 stations with loudspeakers — it was to design an identity at once human, functional and lasting, able to endure decades of operation and millions of daily journeys.
On a project of this scale, the risk is well known: aggregating 68 one-off solutions, station by station, trade-off by trade-off — and losing the overall coherence that makes the experience of a network.
Sound design within the Patrick Jouin ID group
In charge of sound design within the consortium, alongside the signage, furniture and lighting disciplines: defining the prospective vision, designing the reference sonic journey, creating the sonic idents and signage, and optimising the acoustic comfort of equipment and furniture.
This integration within a multidisciplinary team made it possible to think about sound in parallel with the other sensory dimensions — rather than as a separate subject, dealt with after the fact.
Intervening from the programme phase — or not at all
Our involvement began at the programme phase. This is what made it possible to embed sonic considerations in the structuring choices: volumes, materials, threshold treatment, the articulation of spaces. One guiding thread: understanding uses before designing sounds.
Designing one coherent sonic identity across the 68 stations — rather than aggregating 68 one-off solutions. A network recognisable by its atmosphere: coherent, human, lasting.
Sound become infrastructure
A reference sonic journey guiding the design of each station, sonic idents that sign the network, acoustic signage designed for passenger orientation and cognitive comfort. The project has been featured in the national and specialist press — including a portrait in Le Point devoted to the profession of sound designer.