MuseScore is a free and open-source music notation application, and its visual identity has undergone two significant redesigns since the project’s early days. The current logo, introduced in 2024, is part of a broader rebrand of Muse Group, the parent company that owns MuseScore along with Ultimate Guitar, Audacity, and MuseClass.
Design and History
The first official MuseScore wordmark was introduced in October 2009. After an internal call for redesign proposals went unanswered, the project reached out to graphic design students from Hogeschool Gent (KASK) in Belgium. From 22 student proposals, the design teachers selected a wordmark by Raúl Posac, a Fine Arts student from Cuenca, Spain, who was completing his Erasmus year in Ghent. The teachers chose the mark for its “neutrality, its discreet presence and also its clear vision, purity, balance and its link with music,” as well as its timelessness. The wordmark was set in Neue Helvetica, licensed by Linotype, in color #2A567B.[1][2]
In June 2024, Muse Group announced a collaboration with Collins, the branding agency known for work with Spotify, Dropbox, and Mailchimp, to create a consistent umbrella brand across all of its products. The new logo appeared on MuseScore.com as part of this company-wide effort to unify product branding.[3][4]
The application logo was changed to a stylized “S” mark with the release of MuseScore Studio 4.5 in March 2025, which was described as the most eye-catching change in that release.[5][6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2009 wordmark incorporated a fermata, a musical articulation symbol, placed over the letter “u.” While the original design announcement did not explain the specific choice of the fermata, it was noted as a graphical element that linked the mark to music.[1]
For the 2024 rebrand, Collins drew on Suprematist principles, particularly the philosophy of Kazimir Malevich, to capture “the feeling of musical creation in itself.” The design team applied geometric abstraction, dynamic compositions, and color as emotion, avoiding literal depictions of musical instruments or notation. The goal was to visualize the outcomes of musical creation, such as resonance and harmony, rather than the tools themselves.[7]
Typography and Design
Collins designed a custom typeface family called Muse Display for the rebrand, developed in partnership with Contrast Foundry. The typeface features four distinct styles, each sharing structural DNA but presenting different personalities. “Sonata,” designed for MuseScore, incorporates rounded, elegant curves reminiscent of musical notation, while “Shred,” inspired by Ultimate Guitar, features sharp, angular terminals reflecting the intensity of a guitar solo.[7]
The new product logos, including the MuseScore “S” mark, are limited to Muse Display’s most expressive shapes and collectively play with tension, harmony, balance, and energy, elements that align with musical principles.[8]
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