I would appear to be in a minority of one, but I think the London 2012 logo is a good job.
When you compare it with Beijing or Sydney, it is different. Go on. test yourself. Can you remember the Beijing one? It's only next year for chrissakes. It's been around for what, three years now? Here's a clue: it's practically identical to the Sydney one. A copy in fact. Hmmmm.
See what I mean?
Whatever, they are simple re-re-re-interpretations of an already old idea (see London 1948) based on the rings, the city and some catchy character. Out-dated before they were drawn and instantly forgettable. And, in similar vein, who can remember the logo for the London bid? It was only a couple of years ago. Come on, you remember it don't you? It' very like the standard Olympic logo (sorry, I need to stifle a whopping great yawn). OK, give in? Here's a reminder:
See, instantly forgotten.I like the fact that our new logo is different. I like the fact it's a bit edgy, a bit sharp and dissonant. That's how it should be. The games pulls dissonance into harmony for one short period, and that they've done that with interesting use of shape, colour and movement. It's also a logo for the new media. It may not be a first, but out here in the fastness of a home county it feels like it is, a first 'new' logo.
By the time 2012 creaks around there will be many logos like this: that dance and shake and strut their stuff. But they none of them can be first again.
I think we should be a proud that this country is once again leading. Going out a limb. I like it just for that. I'm for it just for that. But I'm for it for other reasons too. Not least, it scores very high on 'interestingness'. And boy, isn't it up a lot of people's noses. I like it for that too. And I think the 2012 London logo will stand up for five years, and beyond. It will be used and recognisable in elements and in whole very quickly. It will be copied too.
It's changed the way Olympic logos will be drawn from 2016 and on. Thank goodness.
Wolf Ollins don't make mistakes. And they didn't get very huge and incredibly successful by making high profile mistakes. They research hard and think harder. There is very little any of us can teach them.
I salute them and their bravery, as I salute that of their clients. I think they will be rewarded.
3 comments:
when I was employed, with a corporate identity bugdet of (approaching) £hundreds of thousands under my control, WO used to wine and dine me
I was only in my mid 20s and probably totally failed to appreciate how lucky I was
I did appreciate the food however, which was scruptious
and I also recall a rather splendid board room of theirs which had a slice of a wooden aeroplane wing as a door on a hinge that went thru the thick part of the wing, so the door didn't open at the edge of the frame, but about a quarter of the way along
and they invited me to the Design Museum to celebrate the Wally's having written and published a book once and even gave me a free copy. . . (not just me, lots of other people were there too, of course!)
those were the days
think they only liked me coz I was naive and had lots of money to spend really
oh and I really liked the bid logo, cos I love the way the river snakes up and down thru it
but then Snakes and Ladders was one of my favourite childhood games, so maybe I'm not looking at it the right way
I didn't realise that the jagged pieces read 2012 until somebody else pointed it out to me. About three days later. Hmmm. Memorable?
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