For your reference of past Olympic logos.

Detail of Beijing 2008 Olympic logo.

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Yes, I'm old, but I'm back in style!

It's official!
London will host the 2012 Olympic Games.

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Yes, I'm old, but I'm back in style!

LONDON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

www.londonbaseball.com

Regent's Park here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gill Sans again
Tim

Apparently use of standard typeface wins out over trendy brush script logos (Sidney 2000, Beijing 2008 and proposed Paris 2012).

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Yes, I'm old, but I'm back in style!

Are these "bid" logos, or would they actually be used all those years ahead?
(In which case they would run the risk of being be a bit out of date.)

Nick,
I believe they are just bid logos, but from past candidates the basic imagery generally remains.

Logo details and final typeface treatment are still open for refinement, but once a nation gets behind the frenzy of candidacy it almost become a flag of victory.

Visiting London earlier this year I saw ads supporting the olympic bid all over the place--with Jeremy Tankard's Bliss, one of my favorites. I thought they looked great.

Comments by London Olympic Bid logo designer

Andy Stanfield, Kino Design
"It's very vibrant. We want the vibrance to inspire people, to get people really backing the Olympic bid. We passionately believe in the Olympic bid and we want other people to actually follow suit and really get behind the bid."

Barbara Cassani, Chairman, London Olympic Bid 2012
"The London symbol is the River Thames which flows through us and gives us the heart of the city, the backbone of the city. And the shape is also a ribbon, a ribbon of colours. The colours represent the diversity of the city, the people who come from everywhere, and the ribbon itself is something that's used in sport. It's a winners' tape. It's the ribbon from which those gold medals will hang for all those people from London and the UK who win the medals in 2012."

Scripted explaination of logo at the unveiling:

The new design for London Olympic bid for 2012 has been unveiled at the Tate Modern gallery in London. The ribbon-based design, which represents the shape of the River Thames, beat off stiff competition. Those behind the bid say it's symbolic of the diversity of London and the Olympic spirit.

The five-colour ribbon design represents London's main waterway, which runs through the heart of the city, and the Olympics games itself. Those behind the bid say this is crucial to the bid.

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I have always had a keen interest in the development and marketing of Olympic Games logos, emblems and identity systems. There are not many projects in design or marketing that present themselves every two years (alternating Summer and Winter Olympics) and have such a major impact globally.

Here is an excellent blog on designs of 2012 candidate logos:
http://38one.com/cleverblog/place-your-bid

I would not wish the Olympic circus on any city.
Great for developers, contractors, and the building trade, of course, but the disruption and debt are horrendous for the general population.
A lot of art galleries and artist studios in London, in the East End, will have to be relocated.

Hopefully, however, the London Olympics will act as an impetus to develop sports and fitness for all Brits. Kids today don't get enough exercise: driven to school, nowhere to play (habitat removal), privatization of facilities, etc.

"Visiting London earlier this year I saw ads supporting the olympic bid all over the place..."

Me too. I actually talked about this this morning. Here in New York there was a completely different vibe for the games. I couldn't walk anywhere in London without seeing tons of ads. Here in New York, you're lucky if you happen to run across a couple.

I love hand done type as its one of my specialities, and I would be inclined to lean toward the Paris logo. It just to me feels a little incomplete. My vote (though it has always been unpopular in the past) is the New York logo. It has a playful vibe, which I like. Though personally speaking I'd like it more if the "1" in 2012 had a pseudo-serif on it. :)

Some comments from cleverblog mention that the NYC logo is "too American". In my opinion, when you visually join the split images of Statue of Liberty on left and victorious olympic athelete on right, you get an overall message of "America wins!"

London's bid logo ribbon motif (in official olympic colors) seems very problematic as an emblem that has to stand up for repro on embroidered patches, tiny pins, etc. So I imagine that Andy Stanfield will continue to refine the logo before official adoption.

The Paris bid logo as it stands looks colorful if anything, but weak in treatment. The brush forms are not gestured enough to portray energy or movement, and not refined enough to evoke visual harmony. As for it's message, deja vu "I (heart) NY" "I (heart) Virginia" and "I (heart) my dog!"

I know it's easy to sit back and dis designs, but come on, it's the Olympics of logo design.

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Yes, I'm old, but I'm back in style!

Is it just me or does the Moscow logo look like it says the word "NO" in it?

It looks like the Sagrada Familia more than anything... Which is one reason I like it I guess. That and I'm part commie. Gotta love those oligarchs getting the slammer.

hhp

Yes, it does.
But isn't Antonio Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and not Moscow? So it would be appropriate for the Summer Commie Games in Barcelona!

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I'm picturing a vintage East German she-male Greco-Roman wrestling Copito.
So much for digesting my lunch.

hhp

Here in Manhattan support for the Olympics was tepid at best. The only people really behind the drive was the Bloomberg admistration. Lots of luck London

There was so much inner-political squabling going on here. All this talk about a West-Side stadium in Manhattan, meanwhile there's still a giant crater in lower Manhattan. New York needs to get its priorities in order.

Speaking of which, I was 15 minutes late this morning to work and have walked in circles in the subway...I can't get anyone at the MTA (Metro Transit Authority) to talk to me regarding plans for an improved wayfinding system. The state of the subway is another reason we didn't deserve the bid.

Congratulations London, you deserve it.

The way the MTA works is they have properties like the air rights for rail yards on the west side of Manhattan valued at over $900 million and they were going to sell them to the Jets for $200 million. They have other properties that aren't being used or developed, yet, they give the board of directors raises and keep raising our subway fares and provide less service (one conductor trains). No wonder tbiddy they don't contact you, you might come up with something that worked, and you know they don't.

Hmmm. I'm often in NYC, and I was upset to see new lettering all over the place identifying a subway stop, and it was lousy. And some of those old mosaic tiles are great.

Since Bloomberg has declared 'type week' why don't we all make a resolution to him that the MTA pay attention to signage, and put some money in doing it right. We might even get press for it.

LET'S START A MOVEMENT!

I'll start a new thread on this.

Oops! I originally, posted this before I read the new thread. Please ignore this.

A bid city's logo is intended to sell the city as a venue, not encapsulate the international spirit of the Olympics. London will create an official identity for the games, now that they have won, and the bid logo will go bye-bye. If you're really interested in what goes into the creation of a candidate city's logo, Brian Collins' account of the creation of the NYC 2012 Identity can be found here.

Along with many others.

Thank you Christopher,

I'd be very interested in getting a signed copy of your book, Logo Lab.

What little insight I had about the process of bid logos comes from limited personal experience. I watched the development of many variations of logos by different designers competing for the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympic Games. After Jose Trias of Quod won the project, I visited him many times between 1988 and 1989 during the refinement of the complete identity campaign for Barcelona.

A full campaign is a major undertaking and I respect and appreciate the designers who rise to the challenge.

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Yes, I'm old, but I'm back in style!

"Regent’s Park here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Sorry Vince,
Baseball and softball have been dropped by the IOC for 2012.
Tim

Yes we just heard that those stupid over paid Professional idoits like A-Rod have caused it to be stopped. But I will play for Great Britain in 2006 so all my teammates and future Team GB players are very very dissapointed. Team GB are playing Holland (the usual champions) in Prague tonight. Go Team GB!

I AM A LONDONER!

- I would not wish the Olympic circus on any city. -

When they held them here in LA, I didn't really notice any more traffic or other logistic problems. This was also the first Olympics to make money so we didn't go into debt. It might be less tragic than you think. There were also some amazing cultural events that were held in conjunction. I thought it was pretty cool and I am fairly cynical…
peace

>Baseball and softball have been dropped by the IOC for 2012.

Baseball doesn't need the Olympics, it has the World Series every year.

Bring back cricket for the London Olympics!
And squash belongs, too (15 million people in 150 countries play).

Cricket, excellent proposal, Gold Ashes anyone?
Tim

Yes I agree.. bring on the Aussies, Robert Elms suggested the Twenty20 for the Olympics.

But truth be told that Baseball and Softball UK numbers have swollen in 2005. In 2000 Richmond Baseball Club had only one team of 15-25 players, in 2005 the Richmond Baseball Club has 4 teams and over 100 members. The British Baseball Federation's baseball league has grown into 3 divisions with north south conferences, but in 2000 it only had 2 divisions in the south.

It is very sad news that the growing sport of baseball will lose lots of funding because the IOC would rather have tarts in bikinis than real team sports that have a British history.

MLB is starting a World Cup of Baseball that should solve this problem.

MLB is starting a World Cup of Baseball that should solve this problem.

Now, if only the NFL would open up the Super Bowl to Aussie Rules...

My first & the last impressions on this logo which was unveiled recently.

First Impression: Is this a logo?
Last IMpression: Is this a logo?

Branding is all about trust, emotion, values, attachment with the people using your brand and understanding the brand as whole, apart from huge investments. Do not try out something extra-ordinary or for the sake of showing how different and innovative one can be, you will end up with some blunders like this one.

Which element of this logo the importance given to? The numbers 2012? are they appealing enough? London? or the 5 rings? nothing appeals me.

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