London 2012 Olympic Games Logo Is Crap!
The new London 2012 Olympic Games Logo was unveiled on Monday morning, and without fail, everyone said “ugh, what the hell is that?” It’s a shocker, a real failure in terms of design, and putting across the nature and culture of the UK ready for this huge sporting event which virtually the whole world will watch.
The old logo was fine, I liked it, but apparently that was only for the olympic bidding process, which we surprisingly won over Paris and New York. It had the right colours, good wording which everyone could read, and the contour of the river Thames running through it. So why then were brand consultants Wolff Olins paid £400,000 to come up with the mess we’ve ended up with.
I’ve always wondered in despair why companies pay huge amounts to other companies to come up with logos, and brands, when some of them end up looking very shoddy. And this is one of those instances. The problem is, we’re not talking about a simple company who only have shareholders and customers to appeal to, this logo has to sum up London, the capital city of England to the whole world. I’m not proposing having an image of butlers, and businessmen in bowler hats holding a cup of tea, but surely something eternally British would have been a good start.
Instead we’ve ended up with 4 brightly coloured squiggles, which approximately spell out 2012, at least if you’ve got an astigmatism. What were they thinking of? And why did we pay them to think up this pile of shite? I must be in the wrong job, as I could have done better on the back of a beermat for £4.00.
London 2012 have tried to defend and justify the new look on their website in words and video, but it cuts no mustard with me. And it’s not just me judging by the debates happening on TV, radio and websites around the world. Just read some of the 3000 (to date) comments on the BBC’s 606 website.
So what do you think? Let me know if it makes you think of London, England, or the UK, and the essence of the Olympics, or if it’s just a complete and utter pile of pony.
There is one possible explanation for the meaning of the logo, which you can see here, but please only click the link if you’re not easily offended!
London 2012, London, England, UK, Olympics, Olympic Games, London 2012 Logo, Wolff Olins, Paris, New York, River Thames,
June 6th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
This looks a great deal like one of my sorority t-shirts.
You are right. This doesn’t spell Brit or London or UK. Hell it doesn’t even spell European. How strange….
Oh that reminds me it’s Earl Grey time.
June 6th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
If you think you can design a better logo, then submit it to this website.
http://www.fubra.com/london2012
Over 100 entries so far and the pink Lisa Simpson one has a measly 1.7 out of 5!
June 6th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
Wow, that’s, er, very pink. And I didn’t even notice it was meant to look like 2012 until you pointed it out.
I foresee an unemployed designer in the very near future.
June 6th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Reading this, I thought it was the first one you were criticizing, maybe, because I thought: Ehh…that’s not so great. But I kept reading and scrolling and reached the actual new logo.
?!?!?!?!?!?!??! That is totally bizarre.
And of course after seeing that animation, I’ll never, ever be able to look at this Olympics logo again.
June 6th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
What I immediately thoguht was that this logo should have Mr. T in front of it, talking about drug safety, while a group of girls danced in spandex tights, ripped jeans, and day-glo headbands, all to the sounds of Loverboy. Or is that just me?
June 6th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
KD, Earl Grey time? Fantastic
It’s certainly a weird choice for a British olympics don’t you think.
Jake, thanks for the link, I could so design a better logo, a 5 year old could.
Carrie, if that designer doesn’t get fired, there’s no justice in the world.
Emma, It’s crap isn’t it! It’s a quality animation though eh, and if that doesn’t make them change it, I don’t know what will.
June 6th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
Todd, I think that’s just you… but now you come to mention it, I can see what you mean!
June 7th, 2007 at 12:41 am
That is just so very…not what I would have chosen. I liked the old one. Oh, and have you heard about this?: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20070606/tuk-2012-promo-pulled-over-seizure-fears-dba1618.html
Now…if only The Doctor was actually one of the last torch runners…