SamAug 14 2009 10:57 AM
I have always found something particularly romantic about the design surrounding the Olympic games.It is the best of what a country/region can offer, and is often inspiring.
I have to admit as an Industrial Design student, designing the handheld Olympic torch is one of my biggest aspirations.
And I\'ve got to say, the final London logo is abysmal.It looks like Lisa Simpson doing unspeakable things.Daniel UllrichAug 14 2009 1:15 PM
By the way: There is a official vote for the for the applicant city munich\' candidate logo for olympic winter games 2018 at http://www.muenchen2018.org/de/logo-abstimmung
Three designs, \"Munich snow crystal\" by Buttgereit und Heidenreich (www.gute-botschafter.de), \"Munich at foehn\" by Zeichen & Wunder (www.zeichenundwunder.de) and \"The tracks of the games\" by Atelier & Friends (www.atelier-friends.de), where chosen by a jury and are in vote until 21. August. Unfortunately only residents in Germany are allowed to vote.Ryan GloverAug 15 2009 9:54 PM
Went to an AIGA meet up at the design studio who did the Sochi identity work. The new stuff is amazing! Can\'t wait to see reactions. Here\'s the team: http://www.northdesign.com
Ian HoughtonAug 15 2009 10:56 PM
The font on that second Torino logo is hideous, but then again I don\'t think \'high tech\' logos really have any place in the Olympics.Maybe when we\'re watching them in hovering stadiums.I particularly like the Athens 2004 logo.Much more appropriate.
Matt SteelAug 17 2009 11:56 PM
I\'m surprised Chicago came in second place. I think it\'s much more elegant than the Madrid logo. I also Love the original London 2012 logo. How it went from that to shattered glass is beyond me.
Ron LelandAug 18 2009 2:11 PM
Having just returned from a 3-week trip to London, teaching Chapman University students about the branding of the 2012 Games - it\'s quite amazing to see some of the dialogue that chastises the new London logo.If you look at the past 30-years of Olympic logo design you’ll see this formulaic pattern of traditional conservatism: pretty image on top, name of the host city and Olympic rings below.Really, is that all our creative community can come up with?
So the old-school rules get played out: a corporate sponsor pays big money to use this logo on their materials. But the colors of the logo, nor the fonts match anything within the corporate guidelines of their communications materials. So what, the rule says this is what you paid for, use it like a postage stamp on anything you plan on using for promoting your company supporting the Olympics.
When you consider what architect, Frank Gehry, has done to the vocabulary of architecture – essentially taking away the mystic that a building has to be a box. Then why hasn’t the communication design industry made similar advances to our own trade?
So Wolff Olins has created some new-rules: create a frame-like logo that can have changes to the “in-fill.” Now a corporate sponsor can use their own corporate color palette or imagery within this frame work, and when they’re promoting their support of the games – it now looks like they’re a part of the bigger picture of the Olympics.
The postage stamp is dead. Move on.
It’s unfortunate that most of you have only seen the pink and yellow rendition of the 2012 London logo.But dig deeper, go to the Adidas site and see what they’ve done to embrace change – and be a bigger part of the Games.Bruce AisherAug 21 2009 8:33 AM
Your comments are very interesting Ron. Thanks for sharing. Why I can\'t say i\'m necessarily a fan of the logo - I think it does work incredibly well on corporate sponsorship materials. It functions much better than some of these other examples certainly and it certainly makes them appear much more integrated with the olympic effort.
victoriaMillerAug 24 2009 11:58 AM
This new information helps me see some merit in the London logo... but couldn\'t it be both? Have aesthetic sophistication, AND allow the rings and city name inside? When you look at it next to others, it just lacks. i am really glad to hear there are other color possibilities...
mxSep 6 2009 9:25 PM
the image of lisa giving head stuck in my head! it\'s so vivid! god help me
VladislavNov 24 2009 7:53 AM
One year ago I made logo for one deign contest.
This is it
[IMG]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2551/3739207550_ca4c115217.jpg[/IMG]