London unveils Olympic logo
Agent_M
lost in the speed forcePosts: 353MI6 Agent
well here's the new London 2012 logo
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/04062007/5/photo/london-2012-chairman-sebastian-coe-british-athlete-kelly-holmes-london.html
oh good grief, that is really shocking
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/04062007/5/photo/london-2012-chairman-sebastian-coe-british-athlete-kelly-holmes-london.html
oh good grief, that is really shocking
Comments
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/04/nolympics104.xml
And how much did it cost, I wonder? Oh, and I see it's to "evolve" in the run up to the games. Does that mean a redesigning fee every couple of months?
Prime Minister Tony Blair said: "When people see the new brand, we want them to be inspired to make a positive change in their life." Like learn how to draw?
Its positively criminal and to think a years worth of research went into this 8-)
Makes you wonder precisely who was consulted,doesn't it?Even little children would probably find this particular design....displeasing.
So far I've heard it being referred to as "Lisa Simpson doing something rude" and two scribbled people passing a brick between them. Even a representative of the UK Brand Council suggested it be sent back to the drawing board.
What a clanger. And that introductory video? Pity the accompanying music wasn't It's a Kinda Magic, it would have went rather well.
...And to whomever made a bit of cash off that logo
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=874402007
London unveils its 2012 Olympics logo
By Michael Holden
LONDON (Reuters) - Organisers of the London 2012 Olympics unveiled the games logo on Monday, calling it powerful and modern, although one critic denounced it as "hideous".
The jagged, graffiti-like blow-up of the number 2012 comes in a range of colours including hot pink and electric blue. Its cost has not been revealed.
Organisers said "the powerful, modern emblem symbolises the dynamic Olympic spirit and its inspirational ability to reach out to people all over the world".
"London 2012 will be Everyone's Games, everyone's 2012," said games chairman Sebastian Coe at the launch attended by the host of sporting celebrities such as tennis star Andrew Murray and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.
"This is the vision at the very heart of our brand," he added. "It will define the venues we build and the Games we hold and act as a reminder of our promise to use the Olympic spirit to inspire everyone and reach out to young people around the world."
The logo, designed by brand consultants Wolff Olins, will be used to promote both the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The design features the word "London" and the five Olympic rings.
"When people see the new brand, we want them to be inspired to make a positive change in their life," said Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"London 2012 will be a great sporting summer but will also allow Britain to showcase itself to the world."
The new branding also got the thumbs up from Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
"This is a truly innovative brand logo that graphically captures the essence of the London 2012 Olympic Games, namely to inspire young people around the world through sport and the Olympic values," he said.
However Bob Blackman, the Conservative Party's London Assembly Olympics spokesman was less than impressed.
"Lord Coe has described this logo as 'ambitious, interactive and youth-friendly' -- I would describe it as hideous," he said.
"Questions needed be answered as to how we have ended up in this situation. Was there an open competition to supply the designs? If so, what on Earth do the rejected ones look like.
"We need to know how much money this exercise has cost, because whatever it was, it's been a complete waste of money."
To be fair, whatever logo they came up with they were bound to be met with opposition from some quarters. This was found when the Conservative party changed its logo from a torch—which looked like an ice cream cone on fire—to a far more sensible tree design.
But still, I think it looks pretty dreadful myself; not because it is different, just because it is poorly designed to my (admittedly unartistic) eyes. I suppose it does have an interestingly naff eighties feel to it, although I doubt that is the look they were going for!
I would love to see the rejected designs.
After all, if they really wanted to appeal to the youth, then they should have let them design it. It would have been lot better than what was actually produced.
Are you sure that's not the case? Some kid will buy lots of toys from his 400,000 paycheck...
If that was the case I wouldn't mind that much ... it would a very enterprising child indeed!
It looks like who ever designed it got their inspiration from potato shapes dipped in paint! I think I designed something similar when I was in kindergarten
Come on, even Mexico City resisted the obvious way of choosing tacos as their symbol and did something more creative.
£400,000 is ridiculous too - I could pull off something better than that on photoshop for free.
The thing that annoys me is "this really appeals to the internet generation of young people"
I'm 16, I use the internet, and that logo is crap.
Is it to early to start making comparisons to The Dome and Wembley? {:)
It's a tradition to say that at the end of every game. And they said this after every game - except Atlanta.
This is a design which has to be finalised in 2007, but still look modern, fresh and interesting in 2012 - an aeon in design terms. You can't be too modern, because it will date, and you can't be too "classic", because by definition it won't look modern.
The most depressing thing about this whole debate for me is that this is the first salvo in the massive wave of cynicism and criticism that is going to greet everything that they announce about the Olympics. There's a perverse habit of the British which means we immediately complain about anything the minute it's announced. I strongly suspect that if the public had been given a choice of fifty potential logos, with a phone vote, the universal reaction would have been that all fifty were rubbish and what they really needed was something in mock Tudor that didn't affect house prices. Look at some of the astonishingly bland reader designs on the BBC website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6723027.stm) and look at what's winning: it's boring, it's predictable, it's safe.
Argh. Rant over.
@merseytart
As Jetset said, they've avoided the predictable, clichéd, stereotypical sports or tired London themes and gone for something completely different and stylised, but with the adaptability and scope to stay fresh right up until the time of the games. All the alternatives I've seen proposed are very predictable and ignorant of the wider brief on how this logo will need to be applied.
The real subtlety in the design that seems to have been missed by Mr T.C. Mitts* is it's flexibility: I've seen this design portrayed in several different colours, patterns and configurations and it's still instantly recognizable. You can break it up, re-arrange the parts (I've seen parodies on the net that reassemble the parts in many different and humorous ways) and you still see it straight away... that's quite an achievement. As Wolf Ollins have stated, the idea behind the logo is that it will develop and adapt with changing time and circumstance: it could be portrayed in the flags of different nations, with a drop shadow, in relief, squashed or stretched. You could even attach sporting or London themes to it if you must... but crucially it would still be recognizable.
The weakest elements are the Olympic rings and 'London' text, which seem poorly applied, almost an afterthought which could have been better integrated. That said, I can't believe the level of abuse and exaggerated revulsion which seems out of all proportion with what is, after all, just a logo.
So, not an absolute triumph, but by no means a travesty. I'm looking forward to the future adaptations and seeing how this develops.
*The Celebrated Man in the street.