59. PENTAGRAM, SAN FRANCISCO
Muzak has come a long way from its elevator music days. The company, which became a Pentagram client in 1997, has worked hard to grind that stereotype into dust.

By 2004, Muzak was calling itself an audio branding company and partnering with the likes of Ann Taylor and The Gap. It needed a website that could speak to high-profile clients as well as the mom-and-pop store down the street. Working with the company’s tagline, “What does your business sound like?” Pentagram used clean design and navigation to highlight case studies featuring a range of clients. Music is, of course, a key component for the site. To ensure it’s a pleasure, site visitors can choose to listen to background music from the beginning or only on demand.

“Muzak has taken some risk by not creating a typical corporate site,” art director Brian Jacobs says, “but it reflects the true attitude of the company and will continue to add to their success. They believe strongly in what they do and have one of the most emotional products a company can offer—music.” Ken Coupland