London 2012 Olympic Logo, unveiled and disapproved! |
Categories: Logo Design News
Written By: Nora Reed
On July 2005, the International Olympic Committee declared London as the host of 2012 Olympic Games. Since then, London has been a subject of great transformations, renovations and inventions. From newly build venues to improved public transport system, everything is being carefully planned and implemented. However, their creativity backfired on June 4, 2007, with the launch of London 2012 Olympic logo.
The new London 2012 Olympic logo is an iconic representation of the date 2012, in a graphical manner, which is designed in a wide range of shades of red, pink, green, orange and blue. Furthermore, the London 2012 Olympic logo is inscribed with the word London onto the digit “2” and the official Olympic five-rings drawn on the digit “0”. The logo was designed by Wolff Ollins and costs £400,000.
According to Seb Coe, chairman of the 2012 organizing committee, the new London 2012 Olympic logo “is the vision at the very heart of our brand”. At the launch ceremony, Mr. Coe added that the logo “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”.
But the critics, nationwide, did not heartily endorse the brand calling it “a waste of money” and “dreadful”. Bob Neill, an opposition member of the Conservative Party on the 2012 Olympic organizing committee, questioned Coe’s viewpoint. He opposed the design by saying “Lord Coe has described this logo as ‘ambitious, interactive and youthful’. I would describe it as hideous”.
Even the public seems to agree with Mr. Neill. A poll conducted by BBC on its website has shown surprisingly negative results with more than 80% of votes disapproving the London 2012 Olympic logo design. Within hours, a petition was published on the internet to force the committee to remove the logo. Interestingly, within two hours of its release, the petition was signed by more than 8,000 people, and by midnight, the number crossed over 13,000 signatures. Currently, the petition has over 15,000 signatures.
So far, the London 2012 Olympic committee has not issued any notification about re-designing or changing the London 2012 Olympic logo. But considering the public opinion and the amateurish design, the committee should try to improve the logo to compliment the creativity and style of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The 2012 Olympic Games will take place in London, United Kingdom from July 27 to August 12, 2012, followed by the Paralympic Games from August 29 to September 9, 2012.
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June 5th, 2007 at 5:07 am
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.
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June 5th, 2007 at 6:37 am
I don’t think it should be redesigned – that just makes us look stupid. If the Brits can’t get an identity right the first time, how can we get the whole event right?!
I’m sure the logo and its application WILL be energetic and dynamic, just as they said they wanted it to be. However, it doesn’t exude anything of Britain, without the Olympic rings in the logo it doesn’t bear any relevance to sport or events, and it is simply ‘trendy’ at the expense of a good design. Maybe it can be saved by a skilful application into all the elements it will be seen in…without the cheesy 80s animated video
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June 5th, 2007 at 11:13 am
I like it! It´s different of we are used to see in Olympic Games.
Bye!
Marcelo
June 5th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
The logo has the name “London” (not the one in regular letters), the number 2012, and is also a world map (without Australia hehe), all in one. What more did you want?
The trick is that the 0 is at the same time the O of lOndon and the N in loNdon.
June 6th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
£400.00 for that logo shit. The culprit for designing (?) is having a laugh
This at a time when home cares fees at nearly doubled.
June 6th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
I didn’t see the world map until it was mentioned. So does a logo really work if it needs an explanation?
A logo shouldn’t need an explanation of what it depicts. I understand they’re trying to reach out to the younger crowd, but they shouldn’t cancel out the other older crowd. A logo should be directed toward the audience as a whole. Unless the majority of the audience for the Olympics was young and trendy, then yes! This may actually work! However, I do give them credit for trying to design something different and outlandish than any other Olympic logo ever made, but look what happened! In some cases being different does not always work, whether you want it to or not.
As for the videos… they look like something out of a saved by the bell show meshed with MTV from the 80s. The colors of the logo shown here gives it a punk/new wave band feel. This logo would be more fit for a London 80’s band reunion rock fest instead. But that image doesn’t exactly fit the Olympics very well…now does it?
June 6th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
What a mess! Its ugly and has nothing to do with the Olympics. It gives off a vibe which is crass and tasteless – full stop. Horrible colours and aggresive lines. What wally thought this was the best one??
June 6th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
This logo reminds me of those decade/two decade old television designs with the random jagged edges, bright colors, etc. This is not a modern, open logo. It’s just highly outdated and unimaginative
June 7th, 2007 at 12:40 am
It took me 10 minutes to figure out that the logo formed “2012″. I was thrown off by the parallelogram in the middle and by, well, by the fact that it’s freaking unreadable. This does not seem like a good trait in a logo.
I think it’s junk. Junk would be ok, but million dollar junk seems outrageous. Who, in what board meeting, sat around and said, “Oh, yes, that’s worth a million dollars”.
I don’t think it symbolizes the Olympics. Maybe it symbolizes the collapse of Western Civilization as it squanders precious resource on pointless abstraction while patting itself on the back at the same time. Or maybe it’s just a really bad call.
June 7th, 2007 at 7:07 am
Now I know what the shapes are about! I hadn’t twigged either.
Guess its achieved something marketing-wise by being a talking point, but seems silly that they’ve overlooked the epilepsy issue.
It doesn’t do anything for me, its a confusing, busy design that’s not very visually appealing.
June 8th, 2007 at 1:44 am
Any publicity is good publicity! Got to agree with Naj there.
I felt the London 2012 candidate City Logo, though very simple, was way better than this design.
June 8th, 2007 at 5:00 am
Now, there are many different mindsets in this forum, and actually, you all are somewhat right. Seeing the logo for the first time confuses you and one cannot really understand what the whole thing is? But I think that despite being differently created, the logo had managed to publicized the event and at the same time gained popularity. The London Olympics Committee have recently added a section on their website in which you can download a template of a new design and can use your creativity in making your own London Olympics logo. A must see section that displays various designs by people. Check it out and make your own design. Maybe your design can be shown on our website too (just send us a copy too).
June 10th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
I’ve actually come around to this logo. My initial reaction was with the majority but it’s since struck me as unique and versatile. Could it be done better? Probably, but I no longer think it’s horrible. But that’s where my 180 stops, though. I was absolutely appalled at the promotional videos that went with it, perhaps because I work in motion graphics. It could be used well, but the way they _have_ used it, so far, is dire.
June 13th, 2007 at 6:01 am
Well, I don’t like the promotional video either. I think that they haven’t used the right idea to express the Olympics. But as far as the idea about paralympics is concerned, I really like it. And especially the old woman part, though it wasn’t concerning the paralympics. Also, I think that the direction of the video was good. Shaky camera does always work well for many. But they have sure managed to do just that.
June 14th, 2007 at 2:15 am
Seem that the Brits and the creative community all over the world really dislike this logo. I guess one reason for the disdain was it doesn’t represent United Kingdom, British culture and it’s way of life. There’s nothing to eludes national pride. I did a research and found why there’s no similar uproar for Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 . Well, nationalism is evident in the graphic execution there.
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June 19th, 2007 at 7:42 am
It is really very hard to take a liking to this logo. Looks like something broken. Even on paraolympic aspect it seems improper, in my opinion, and that broken appearance just may offends.
On the other hand it is very very characteristic (what is important, ist’n it?)
June 24th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Logos like this always remind me of the “Emperor’s Clothes.” And I feel sorry for the Committee. They hire an agency that states that it’s is the most influencial brand business and they get what amounts to a logo that shouldn’t belong in a freshman’s design portfolio. All for the tune of 400,000 pounds. Yikes!
June 28th, 2007 at 8:47 am
When I first saw the video for this I was lost for words…..the design itself smacks of a country stuck in the 70’s. It has succeeded in gaining publicity and it’s also starting to grow on people, in the same way that anything that is new and different does. Many people instantly came up with their own ideas, but you will never please everyone no matter what.
I’m sure we can live with the design, but please…scrap the video.
cotojo
July 3rd, 2007 at 6:20 am
I agree this logo looks dreadful BUT I cannot imagine any “good” logo getting a tenth as much buzz and publicity as this “bad” logo. I recognize the logo (and the fact that the 2012 Olympics will be in London) because of the bad buzz about this “BAD” logo.
Good or bad, this logo has certainly been effective.
July 7th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
If a budget logo designer provides a customer with something like that, he’d be accused of being a scammer.
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:31 am
This is akin to the rebranded Baskin Robbins logo. Totally uninspiring. $800,000 for this??? Come on… many designers would happily make one for free even! And better output. I don’t see the communication at all. Not at all. Maybe it’s targeted audience is not of this world. Yes! We earthlings would like to invite aliens to our Olympics! Make a huge ass print of this thing so that it can be seen a million light years away.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:39 am
It looks like some 80’s looking doodle on a schoolkid’s bag. Ugh!
March 18th, 2008 at 11:03 am
I heard this logo involves unnecessary flashing in the advert…what about epileptic people??
I don’t see what this whole “world map” thing’s about.:?
It looks like a graffiti artist’s work.
Done on a wall with spray paint in under 10 minutes.
Yeah, well done.
£400,000 down the drain.
April 24th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
That London Olympic logo which the organisers/officials are defending and say we’ll have to get used to and cost hundreds of thousands of pounds is only being defended because it cost so much, in my opinion.
If it had only cost 5 grand, they would have seen how bad it is and not felt stupid to face up to it and say ‘lets move on with a new design’, but to admit to wasting that kind of money on something rubbish would rightly make them look beyond stupid.
Maybe just slightly more dumb than defending it.
They could let the public submit ideas for ten pounds each and get a much better logo, and their money back into the bargain.
Show up the company that did such a nasty job.
August 28th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Very unique design!
September 27th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
The logo was designed by an Israeli, as you can see the logo spells zion. It was supposed to subliminally place the word zion in the minds of the British public.
It worked, because we now associate the shit logo with zion.