39 Olympic Logos From 1924 to 2012 | Webdesigner Depot

2 Mar
39 Olympic Logos From 1924 to 2012
Design, Logos
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Living in Vancouver, Canada, I’ve been seeing the logo of the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympic Games more and more around the city as the date draws closer.
I thought it would be interesting to take a look at how the design trends in Olympic logos have evolved over the years.
Noticeably, the logos seem to have changed from a monochromatic trend to a more multicolor approach in recent years.
Logo design seems to have been streamlined to simpler and cleaner shapes. This article features every logo from the summer and winter Olympic games from 1924 to 2012.
Paris – Summer 1924

Lake Placid – Winter 1932

Los Angeles – Summer 1932

Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Winter 1936

Berlin – Summer 1936

St. Moritz – Winter 1948

London – Summer 1948

Oslo – Winter 1952

Helsinki – Summer 1952

Cortina d’Ampezzo – Winter 1956

Melbourne / Stockholm – Summer 1956

Squaw Valley – Winter 1960

Rome – Summer 1960

Innsbruck – Winter 1964

Tokyo – Summer 1964

Grenoble – Winter 1968

Mexico – Summer 1968

Sapporo – Winter 1972

Munich – Summer 1972

Innsbruck – Winter 1976

Montreal – Summer 1976

Lake Placid – Winter 1980

Moscow – Summer 1980

Sarajevo – Winter 1984

Los Angeles – Summer 1984

Calgary – Winter 1988

Seoul – Summer 1988

Albertville – Winter 1992

Barcelona – Summer 1992

Lillehammer – Winter 1994

Atlanta – Summer 1996

Nagano – Winter 1998

Sydney – Summer 2000

Salt Lake City – Winter 2002

Athens – Summer 2004

Turin – Winter 2006

Beijing – Summer 2008

Vancouver – Winter 2010

London – Summer 2012
Which is your favorite logo and what do you think of the logos of the upcoming Vancouver and London games?
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241 Comments »

#1
The Frosty @WPCult
March 2nd, 2009 at 06:57
That’s a nice collection, but I have to say that the London logo is quite strange.
But I am partial to the 84′ Olympiad, because it was in LA (where I’m from) and had a poster hanging in my parents house growing up.

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#2
Kara
February 21st, 2010 at 17:22
The london one is not cool, but i like vancouvers….

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#3
Ian
May 19th, 2010 at 16:28
London 2012 is by far the most interesting and progessive (a little like the city itself). Too many of the others a tired reworkings of a figure. Barcelona is wonderful but Sydney and Vancouver are copies (almost).
London Logo is utterly unique, very now and hence will date wonderfully.

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#4
Vanessa
July 10th, 2010 at 17:57
In response to “…Sydney and Vancouver are copies (almost).” You couldn’t be more wrong. I am more than a bit bothered by the fact that intelligent people (Ian’s not the only one) don’t understand that the Vancouver logo is generally based on landmarks and statues used by indigenous peoples, and possibly specifically based on an inuksuk from the head of Vancouver’s English Bay. I can’t speak for Sydney’s logo, but even without the cultural context, they don’t look like one another.

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#5
Ian
May 19th, 2010 at 16:28
London 2012 is by far the most interesting and progessive (a little like the city itself). Too many of the others a tired reworkings of a figure. Barcelona is wonderful but Sydney and Vancouver are copies (almost).
London Logo is utterly unique, very now and hence will date wonderfully.

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#6
Rizal
March 2nd, 2009 at 07:00
i lilke the athens 2004 one.
it’s like a handdrawing.

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#7
Michael Shelton
March 2nd, 2009 at 07:07
Cool post!
London 2012 isn’t working for me. Pink and yellow are vibrating too much. It seems more like a kids cartoon logo than for the olympic games.
It’s also interesting how about 5 of the more recent ones use an abstract shape of a human figure as part of the logo. So atleast London’s doesn’t copy that same overused idea.

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#8
onetallpoppy
July 18th, 2009 at 20:04
Then you’ll be sicken to know that they paid £400,000 for it (nearly $653,600). However what’s even MORE outrageous is that it almost took a year to conceive by brand consultants Wolff Olins. Some see the infamous Nazi SS symbol in it… personally, I see a severely distorted Keith Haring influence in it myself.

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#9
Anonymous
March 2nd, 2009 at 07:07
London – Summer 2012
Bad logo. It is a bad logo. Previously, logos have been better.
All logos are good. And this (London – Summer 2012) is very bad.

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#10
Rom@n
March 2nd, 2009 at 07:25
Good logos, in my opinion.
old:
Cortina d’Ampezzo – Winter 1956
Melbourne / Stockholm – Summer 1956
Innsbruck – Winter 1964
Tokyo – Summer 1964
Moscow – Summer 1980
Calgary – Winter 1988
Albertville – Winter 1992
modern:
Nagano – Winter 1998
Athens – Summer 2004
Turin – Winter 2006
With greetings from Russia )))

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#11
Dean
March 2nd, 2009 at 08:31
I do not like London’s 2012 Olympics logo.
I do not like it with a mouse.
I do not like it in a house.
I do not like it on a train.
I do not like it in the rain.
I do not like it Sam I Am.
I do not like London’s 2012 Olympics logo.

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#12
Elizabeth
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:03
What a delightful homage to the good Dr. on his birthday.

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#13
jeremy
March 2nd, 2009 at 08:53
Vancouver… the fatty olympics

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#14
j dodds
March 6th, 2009 at 04:37
i laughed so hard i farted… when i went back and looked at the logo…
maybe it’s the year of the sumo

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#15
Yvan
March 2nd, 2010 at 23:26
It’s actually an Inukshuk an human made landmark use as by the native/aboriginal people living in the tundras of northern Canada. It’s not a drawing of a fat person.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inukshuk

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#16
insic
March 2nd, 2009 at 08:56
London 2012? I dont like it maybe because Im not a logo expert. lol Its just my own opinion anyway. Im sure it is intended to look like it. lol

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#17
Elizabeth
March 2nd, 2009 at 09:45
Atlanta, Calgary and Munich are nice logos. But London 2012 is the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen in my life!

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#18
Jack
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:00
I don’t like London’s either, I didn’t really understand why the committee picked up that ugly and meaningless design. My favourite one is Beijing 2008.

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#19
Sinan
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:19
found sth funny about that london logo:
http://www.geordiesport.com/images/london2012_logo.jpg

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#20
David Perel
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:47
I don’t like a single on of these logos. To me none of them are particularly timeless. In fact I would say that it is in the DNA of the Olympics to have bad logos!
Great post though!

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#21
Paul
February 13th, 2010 at 03:02
Hey, you have a point here, but do you think they’re supposed to be timeless? I always saw them as a symbol of the “there and now.” They seem representative of that country/city, with that event, at that time. The olympic rings, on the other hand, I think are meant to be timeless. Abstract enough, and basic enough to have no particular time and place in mind. Only the event itself, and what it means.

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#22
Paul
February 13th, 2010 at 03:06
With that in mind, does it change how you feel about them? lol

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#23
iorgos
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:55
Barcelona and Athens are the best

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#24
Walter
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:07
Agreed But I like Vancouver too…. and yes, I agree with most people, London’s logo is terrible.

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#25
Fred Soler
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:13
Love Turino 2006, nice one.
But hate Berlin 1936…

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#26
Fitz
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:17
I like Montreal – Summer 1976 logo because it is simple and it creates an “M” for Montreal. Well I think it creates an abstract M it might not be what it is!
I think the London 2012 is better than Vancouver 2010 logo.
The London 2012 logo must have been chosen to stir opinions and get people talking about it. It certainly has done that!

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#27
Gediminas Baltaduonis
March 1st, 2010 at 12:48
It also creates a running track and awards podium. I found that description in the book about this olympic games, and yes i totally agree, this is the best olympic logo ever.

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#28
John Oliver
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:40
I’m British and a designer, and I’m ashamed of the 2012 Olympic Logo. It’s simply awful.

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#29
mike
September 29th, 2009 at 16:21
Well you should have out a bit more effort into it then!
I love the 2012 logo

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#30
Sochi2014
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:50
Sochi 2014
http://www.1981.ru/pages/img/olympiclogo/28_2014.jpg

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#31
ODWGOOG
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:05
Berlin 36, Oslo 52, Munich 72, Moscow 80 & Athens 2004 are saying something about nation branding too in same time

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#32
Sérgio Soares
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:09
Good collection and a nice research of that!
Very good blog here at depot
Thanks

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#33
WilhelmR
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:17
My Favorites:
Helsinki – Summer 1952
Calgary – Winter 1988
And one of the future ones: Chicago 2016 <3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_2016

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#34
ChicagoSucks
November 26th, 2009 at 01:02
Hahhh, Too bad that retard Michelle Obama didn’t get what she wanted and it’s NOT going to be in Chicago. (:

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#35
chris
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:30
great collection
mexico and montreal are the best
didnt like 2012 london

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#36
Morten
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:31
The upcoming London one was kinda 80’s. It gave that “Yo MTV raps” vibe. Mexico was pretty interesting…. but not pretty.

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#37
benjamin
February 11th, 2010 at 19:04
I disagree… i think is one of the most beautifully designed logos… i think what you meant to say was: it is too serious, specially for such a colorful country…

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#38
Dan
April 27th, 2010 at 07:24
I’m a designer and think as well that Mexico’s is a very interesting logo very well accomplished , agree it’s not a pretty one, but very functional, and stands out from the other ones.

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#39
Jeroen Marechal
March 2nd, 2009 at 13:32
Nice collection!
I like the Moscow one the best… the London and Vancouver ones are strange and in my opinion not quite nice logo’s.

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#40
Sean
March 2nd, 2009 at 14:07
London 2012 – WTF, that is ugly and stupid looking. My fav’s are Nagano ‘98 and Calgary ‘88

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#41
Zulficar
March 2nd, 2009 at 14:19
Woooow ….. nostalgic collection

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#42
mkjones
March 2nd, 2009 at 14:21
The 2012 logo is a joke and an embarrassment to our nation.
I love the Munich one. Shame those games were marred with violence.

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#43
Johannes
March 2nd, 2009 at 15:38
Almost every logo looks terrible! I guess the logo for 2012 made with MS-Paint.

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#44
amanda
March 2nd, 2009 at 17:07
London 2012 looks like a logo for a youth retreat in the early 90’s.
My favorite is Nagano – Winter 1998

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#45
Dennis Williams
March 2nd, 2009 at 17:28
I think people need to realise that the London 2012 logo is designed to work as a piece of motion artwork as well as a static piece of artwork. Appearing bold, energised and free the logo encompasses many themes relating to the spirit and ambitions of the Olympics & London. I think that this logo has also been developed to take into account the changes in user interaction and technology by 2012, in particular the development of mobile visual technology.
Check out how the brand comes alive. How many of the other logos / brand could you do this with…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ85HkWwYCw
By 2012 you’ll all be loving it.

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#46
Michael
March 3rd, 2009 at 06:35
Dennis,
I agree that “Appearing bold, energised and free the logo encompasses many themes relating to the spirit and ambitions of the Olympics & London. I think that this logo has also been developed to take into account the changes in user interaction and technology by 2012″ are great goals for the logo to have and perhaps the logo does in fact succeed at these goals, however, that doesn’t mean that it is a good logo.
This logo is not the right solution, not necessarily because it doesn’t convey the right messages, but because aesthetically it is not pleasing to the eye. For starters, the colors do evoke “bold” and “energy” yet the pink and yellow together are vibrating too much, displeasing to the eye. There are other color combos that can still envoke the same feeling yet will work better together.
Also, the shapes of the type may again evoke the right qualities, however these forms are more often associated with the 80’s and 90’s pop culture and have been become cliche of that era.
I respect that the folks behind the London 2012 had the right idea, however feel that they failed in the execution of these goals.

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#47
Dennis Williams
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:54
Hi Michael,
Thanks for the reply, some interesting points.
I personally I’m not the biggest fan of the pink / yellow combination so would agree with you.
My thoughts though are that if we were both to take this logo and change it to our own personal colour taste and then put these side by side I would relate to your logo as much as mine still. The brand recognition which this logo forms part of is constantly evolving, exciting and even “fun”. I think you have to look beyond the colour of this “thing that’s alive”.
Try and apply the same methods above to any of the other logos and it becomes difficult. Without looking could you for example remember the colour order on the Vancouver logo? Does it matter what the colour order is? With 2012 it doesn’t. If we were to look at this list in 30 years time the logos of the last 10 years would probably look outdated and static, but the London 2012 logo could, in my opinion, almost evolve with the list. The last Olympic logo in China already seems to be fading from my mind, but 2012 with all its controversies is lodged there; I have complete brand recognition across any medium, and I think most people do and will do for a long time after.
I really don’t think we have even touched the surface with this brand and its application. That’s where for me it gets interesting.
Dennis

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#48
The Schneid
March 3rd, 2009 at 08:35
Dennis – “By the way, I created the 2012 logo.
And I hate all of you.”

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#49
John Oliver
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:10
Dennis,
Generally speaking, a design’s success is determined by public reaction.
Generally, it’s safe to say that most people like the design of this website. Generally, it’s safe to say that most people (regardless of weather they like the operating system(s) or not!) like the design of Apple hardware. And generally its safe to say that most people like the design of the Aston Martin DB9.
On the same basis.. it is generally… no, almost unanimously, safe to say that just about everyone dislikes the London 2012 logo.
Your comments about motion artwork are correct to a degree.. However I would say that surely a better logo could have been designed with ‘motion artwork’ in mind? Surely this requirement is not *that* crippling to the design brief??

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#50
Brito
March 2nd, 2009 at 18:12
Pity London 2012 is the worse by far.

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#51
Matt
March 2nd, 2009 at 19:54
I agree with pretty much everybody, the London 2012 logo is awful, hurts my eyes to look at it!
I’d say my favorite is the Turin 2006 logo.

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#52
Mike
March 2nd, 2009 at 21:09
The upcoming Vancouver logo is fantastic – love it! London on the flipside is terrible, don’t understand it, doesn’t connect with me and hurts my eyes.
The ‘32 LA logo is sooo American, Berlin ‘36 is tragic given its background, Helsinki ‘52 is innovative as can be especially for its time, and I’m loving Innsbruck for the proximity to my hometown. Cheers!

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#53
Alex Kink
March 2nd, 2009 at 21:16
I like the Lillehammer – Winter 1994, probably because its the first Olympics that I followed. Athens is also great in my opinion.
I thought the London one was a joke but apparently its the real deal – Wow!

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#54
Marie
March 2nd, 2009 at 21:19
Living in Vancouver and actually know the meaning behind to Vancouver logo, i like it. It’s a bit too colorful and the composition are simple enough. My favourite of all it’s the Turino’s logo. It still looks very modern even though it’s designed at least 5 years ago?

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#55
Tom Ross
March 2nd, 2009 at 21:20
I actually don’t like hardly any of these. It’s a great idea for a list, and really interesting to look through, but most of these just aren’t my style.

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#56
pk5
March 2nd, 2009 at 22:21
Calgary is the best
i don’t like vancouver logo..

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#57
Lee Gough
March 2nd, 2009 at 22:33
nice logos, i like turin the best i think London is a big let down. it dosnt seem to represent anything and the colour is way off the scale

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#58
Sarah
March 2nd, 2009 at 23:08
Great post! I’m very partial to the Mexico 1968 logo. I think it really set the tone of design for that era, into the 70s. Even now you can see similar typography put on “vintage” style tees.
And as for the London 2012 logo– does it remind anyone else a bit of the Saved by the Bell opening graphics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHKvruzbWl4)? Maybe it’s just me.

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#59
Matt Ward
March 2nd, 2009 at 23:39
Calgary ‘88 for sure. I really like the monochromatic palette, and the way that the logo uses reuses the classic Olympic rings in such a way that actually recalls the Canadian maple leaf without actually making it a maple leaf. I think that this last point is important because, while it’s nice to have a logo that alludes to or suggests the host country, the iconography shouldn’t be TOO strong, since it IS an global event.
The Vancouver 1010 logo does a nice job of this too, by using the stylized inuksuk, which is or course reminiscent of the native Inuit.

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#60
Courtney
March 3rd, 2009 at 02:30
Nagano and Athens are the best for sure. In my opinion at least.

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#61
FUNKist
March 3rd, 2009 at 02:42
I may not know the best, but I certainly know the worst…LONDON 2012…what a shame.

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#62
Sarah
March 3rd, 2009 at 03:38
I like Calgary ‘88, but I’m a Calgarian, so it’s not fair. I like Naganos the best. I’m just reading about the controversy surrounding Vancouver, but I think a few priorities were missed in the planning of the games.

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#63
Vilson Martins Filho
March 3rd, 2009 at 04:28
Great research!
Best:
Tokyo;
Moskow;
Athens.
I’ve posted in my blog a website that you can find a series of posters from almost all olympic games.
Please fell free to read:
http://www.designcotidiano.com.br/2009/01/the-olymperials-posters-online-de-todas-as-olimpiadas/

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#64
Kitty
March 3rd, 2009 at 05:31
I really like Turin 2006. It has a winterfeel to it, it is futuristic or the font used is great.
Vancouver is a bit funny but the colors seem very traditional-olympics, so it’s ok.
The London one is horrible, the colors are way too extreme and I’m reading “ZOR” out of it what is weird. Also doesn’t like the font.
I liked the Calgary one and the Rome one too, the best summer game one seems Athens, it reminds me of a holiday add.
The Munich one fits very nicely to the time it was used – slightly trippy 70’s

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#65
Michael
March 3rd, 2009 at 06:38
You know, ‘96 Atlanta would be very nice if they would have lost that awful green box in the background. The torch shape that is created is quite nifty, but right now that box just closes everything up. Bummer, could have been really nice (in my opinion).

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#66
Alvaro
March 3rd, 2009 at 07:15
seems nobody likes London 2012… either do I

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#67
Linda
March 3rd, 2009 at 08:00
The new London logo is simply ugly. What else is there to say..

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#68
Timothy
March 3rd, 2009 at 08:05
The 1924 one is the best

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#69
Davin Greenwell
March 3rd, 2009 at 09:47
Torino 2006 is neat but not really relevant geographically or subject wise. Innsbruck had two olympics and featured two boringly similar logos. Albertville 1992 had a nice clean logo but the two swipes underneath kind of ruined it for me. Not cause it’s Canada, but because it’s really really, well designed – my favorite is the Calgary 1988 logo for combining the circles in a new way to make a leaf AND a snowflake at the same time. This logo nailed it in more ways than any of the other logos and it looks great. I could go on.
And I have to agree with everyone that said the London 2012 logo looks bad. It’s like they’re doing it on purpose, trying deliberately to be misunderstood, like a hipster in a private school.

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#70
Jason
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:53
Its amazing how many people dislike the London Olympics (2012 version). I too find it quite disgusting both in shape and colour. Maybe in another 100 years people will start to appreciate it. But I doubt it!

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#71
Steve
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:28
I don’t mind the London logo, in fact I quite like the way it breaks away from the mould of the drab abstract person throwing/running/jumping we’ve seen it all before type logo, as for the others:
Montreal
Looks like someone giving the finger
Los Angeles
Replace with Olympic text with xyz US airline company name.
Turin
Looks like any generic IT company logo.
My favourites are:
Atlanta
Really nice but wish they had picked a better colour palette.
Salt Lake City
Great mix of the torch and snowflake.

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#72
DKumar M.
March 3rd, 2009 at 15:37
Nice Round-up walter… I kinda like the London – Summer 2012 logo as it’s totally different and attracting attention.
DKumar M.

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#73
excopete
March 3rd, 2009 at 15:55
Barcelona!

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#74
Monoroot
March 3rd, 2009 at 17:23
With regards to the London 2012 logo, I personally hated it when I first saw it. As a British designer, the logo initially made me cringe with embarrassment, especially as it was created by the influential Wolff Olins.
Now that two years have passed since the logo was revealed to a shocked public, I’ve got to say I really like it now and it’s vibrancy is infectious. I’d even be bold enough to say it’s light years ahead of all the other logos above.
Memorable? Yes.
For the wrong reasons? Hmm, maybe. Art is subjective.
Dull? Far from it!
The only other logos that come close to London 2012 are, in my opinion:
Mexico – Summer 1968
Munich – Summer 1972

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#75
benjamin
February 11th, 2010 at 19:08
I don´t like that logo and I think you already know this but design is not art… design is not intended to be that subjective

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#76
Andreas
March 3rd, 2009 at 17:39
I like the atlanta logo from ‘96, although the colors are not good I think, and the font could be better

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#77
Drew
March 3rd, 2009 at 18:44
Great post.
I really like the Torino 2006 logo. Super clean sans font and simple crisp image.
I agree with the rest of the posters, 2012 London UGLY!!
I also love the upcoming Chicago logo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_2016

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#78
Don
March 3rd, 2009 at 20:21
Rome 1960 is kind of scary……

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#79
yoshi
March 6th, 2009 at 22:38
don, babies suckling on a female wolf is a symbol of the city of Rome. it’s good to know things, no?

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#80
Mattheww
November 26th, 2009 at 01:05
Hahaha! It’s Romulus(founder of Rome) and his twin brother Remus being nursed by a she-wolf. That’s how the two boys grew up, they both wanted to be the first kings of their new city, Romulus killed Remus and named the city after himself and was then the king (:

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#81
ImNikos
March 3rd, 2009 at 22:08
I am the 30th guy that I will say that London’s logo sucks.. It was well known that they don’t have taste but this is unacceptable.. I think that after Barcelona’s Olympics, all the countries had interesting logos.. Do they have time to change London’s logo?

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#82
ADA
March 14th, 2010 at 18:03
Oi – ‘ImNikos’… that’s a bit cheeky! Some of the finest 2oth C art, design and creativity has come from the British Isles… myriad movie directors (working in Hollywood); likewise script writers; actors; musicians (Beatles, Cold Play, Stones, Pink Floyd, Winehouse, Elgar; Sex Pistols); Comedy (Monty Python, Sacha Baron Cohen aka Borat/Ali G, Gervias); writers (Shakespeare, Byron, Christie, J K Rowling, Tolkien); internationally influential and original TV producers; designers and artists (McQueen, Emin, Hurst)… and Tim Berners-Lee (the man who’s made blogs like this possible)…so
“Got No Taste”? But, having said all that, you do have a point re. the 2012 logo. It’s jarring and uncompromising. We can only hope it grows on us and in future we can look back and say: ‘wow that logo was groundbreaking’. Because it’s certainly original. I’m just hoping and praying the designers of it know something we don’t.

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#83
Manuel F. Graf
March 3rd, 2009 at 23:46
I like the one of 2006 in Turin. Great type. Rounded, modern. simply cool. SOme of them are… really… mediocre.
Somehow i cannot believe somebody approved these.

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#84
Jesse Couch
March 4th, 2009 at 01:19
Going to have to say that Olympic logos are NOTORIOUS for bad design, as they are almost always “design by committee.” They didn’t really start to approach decent logo design (see: Saul Bass and his contemporaries) until the 1990’s when they had a string of halfway decent ones. These include Albertville, Lillehammer, Salt Lake, Athens, Turin and Beijing. Unfortunately, the Vancouver logo and the HORRENDOUS London logo are signs of (frightening) things to come. The tradition continues!!

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#85
Lawrence
March 4th, 2009 at 06:04
Must agree that the 2012 is very shocking. I watched that promo video for 2012 that someone above link to here… and it still doesn’t explain the madness of the Easter colouring book theme. And the Vancouver logo, well needless to say they would rather open logo design up to the general public by having a contest to pick the logo. However, Vancouver does have some nice mascots. Maybe your next round-up should be of Olympic mascot designs.

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#86
Pablo
March 4th, 2009 at 17:50
Nagano 98 is my fave, followed by Munich 72, Torino 06 and Rome 60. But how on earth did those silly sods settled for that 2012 rubbish? It looks as if it was grabbed right out of a school bathroom graffiti in 1983. Even ugly-album-cover-designers at that time would have done a better job.

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#87
Frog
March 4th, 2009 at 19:35
Rome – Summer 1960, what’s happening there then!

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#88
Logo Design Guru
March 4th, 2009 at 23:22
I never realized that there were so many logos attached to those famous rings. I do think that Atlanta 96 is the best one of all. What a great opportunity to create the Olympic logo. Since it is something that is always changing, there are so many promising ideas in the past and more to come.

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#89
Sarah
March 4th, 2009 at 23:23
A number of people don’t seem to know that the Vancouver logo isn’t necessarily supposed to [blatantly] represent a person, or a fat person, or someone with no knees, but an Inukshuk, which is a figure made from rocks that is seen all over the coast (North, Pacific or Atlantic) of Canada. I think it’s a great representation of Canadian heritage while keeping with the colours of the Olympics. London, however, is horrendous.

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#90
Seraphim Collective
March 5th, 2009 at 03:04
Good lord! That London one is atrocious! It’s not the only bad one though. Glad to see these all in one place. Gives me a chance to see the changes over the years, good, and bad.

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#91
Raphael
March 5th, 2009 at 15:26
omg! >.<
London 2012 is terrible. Read how they was thinking when they done this “ambitious” logo…. look like a kid done the logo..
http://www.london2012.com/about/our-brand/
(…)
The brand
We need a powerful brand to help us achieve our ambition. A brand that combines the power of the Olympic rings and the city of London together.
The number 2012 is our brand. It is universal and understandable worldwide
Our emblem is simple, distinct, bold and buzzing with energy. Its form is inclusive yet consistent and has incredible flexibility to encourage access and participation. It can communicate with anyone from commercial organisations to kids playing sport.
It feels young in spirit. Full of confidence, certainty and opportunity. Not afraid to shake things up, to challenge the accepted. To change things.
For the first time, the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be part of the same brand family.
Our brand will have impact across everything we do, there are huge possibilities, but we have a clear ambition.
Our Games will be for everyone.
(…)

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#92
Jugalug
March 5th, 2009 at 21:38
I love the London 2012 logo.

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#93
Jesse Couch
March 6th, 2009 at 21:17
Can you say “I want to generate an uproar?”

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#94
iola
March 5th, 2009 at 22:55
i really like the tokyo logo the most, i think! it’s so simple but strong.
and the athens logo. ♥
i think the london logo is TOO much. i was like; WTH is that? i had to look twice to actually see that it said 2012. and its a bit TOO out of the box. almost all logos have like a graphic and under that graphic text, and this one is like; WHERE’S THE TEXT?
; OH IT’S IN THE GRAPHIC ITSELF. ; BUT WHY ISNT THERE TEXT IN THE “12″ ?
but thats just my opinion. maybe im being closed minded ;]

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#95
dpencilpusher
March 6th, 2009 at 00:00
surprisingly, the latest ones are hideous

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#96
BNS
March 6th, 2009 at 02:15
Good ones! But London? No way!

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#97
Mluxus
March 6th, 2009 at 03:06
Tokio and Moscow are the best in terms of graphic design and recognition… http://twitter.com/mluxus

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#98
j dodds
March 6th, 2009 at 04:40
I didn’t actually believe that that london piece of crap was for real, but sure enough… it’s official:
http://www.london2012.com/

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#99
bilboner
March 6th, 2009 at 13:50
Many people don’t like London 2012 logo.
Well, maybe it doesn’t matter that you like it or not ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfU4BUH8p3k

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#100
Michael
March 6th, 2009 at 17:05
Turin or the Sydney logos are probably my favorite out of this list. I agree about the London logo. WTF were they thinking. I can only think about the mid 80s when I see that design. How much did that cost again? The Vancouver logo, although a somewhat interesting approach, seems to lack in excitement and execution.

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#101
Zohaib
March 6th, 2009 at 23:14
The last London summer logo. I hope it’s a logo??

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#102
Dark Tech
March 7th, 2009 at 00:46
London 2012? Z I O N (decompress image) ZION

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#103
Dark Tech
March 7th, 2009 at 00:47
Look: http://images43.fotosik.pl/58/315c95582da9b9a8.jpg

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#104
garth
March 7th, 2009 at 04:25
My faves are Nagano 1998 and Athens 2004, they just resonate with me.

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#105
Rodrigo
March 7th, 2009 at 23:45
The athens logo is, for me, the most creative. The effect of hand writting gives the impression of something more humanized, just like the games must be.

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#106
4psd
March 8th, 2009 at 01:58
i think that new london logo sux;)

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#107
Cristian Eslava
March 8th, 2009 at 23:45
This is a very useful post to find the best abd the worst ever Olympic logo.
You may share your opinion at:
The best and the worst Olympic logo
No registration needed.
En Español:
El mejor y el peor logo olímpico
I may guess for your opinion which one is gonna be the worst

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#108
vertykal
March 9th, 2009 at 23:51
YO! check out the LONDON logo on its official webside. Its GIFy and accuallz quite cool. Looks waz better than the one posted here.

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#109
Igor de Sousa Saraiva
March 10th, 2009 at 14:42
GOOD COLLECTION!
All in one page, we can se the typographic evolution, as well as the colours changing over the years, when the printing techniques also evolute!
Amazing!
Igor Saraiva

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#110
Rajesh
March 11th, 2009 at 13:39
Wow! Great collections. Thanks for sharing it.

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#111
theamoeba
March 12th, 2009 at 12:57
i like the athens logo for some reason, it just has something that the others do not. Great collection, thank you.
They werent very innovative with the innsbruck logo, almost the same logo used twice.

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#112
Bill Thornton
March 14th, 2009 at 09:31
I would have to say that only Italy (Turin) and Spain (Barcelona) have done it again. Great logos, hey the best art in the world is coming from there. The rest are from bad to worse. And London, whatever happened there is the ugliest of them all. Nothing personal.

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#113
Bryan Hornby
March 16th, 2009 at 14:36
Don’t like the London Logo at all. I must say the Innsbruck – Winter 1964 was excellent for its time

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#114
Stein
March 17th, 2009 at 14:21
A friend told me (yeah right!)
that the London 2012 looks like:
Lisa Simpson giving head.

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#115
Manuel Esquijarosa
March 21st, 2009 at 07:19
Almost all the logos are great with a few minor exceptions. The first being the 1936 Berlin Summer games, for obvious reasons and the 2012 London games simply for any lack of style and or poor judgment.

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#116
fede
March 21st, 2009 at 11:56
Really nice gallery;
I like very much Nagano 1998 and Torino 2006 [ I'm italian ]
London 2012 is incredibly ugly … are they going to change it?!
bye

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#117
Brian M
March 22nd, 2009 at 06:14
I love Torino 2006. By far one of the best Olympic logos. Its just clean!

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#118
Brad Clark
March 23rd, 2009 at 03:55
Maybe this is more a reflection of me than the designers but has anyone notices that the London 2012 logo looks like a girl performing a sex act on a guy?
Am i just seeing things!
take another look!

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#119
Carlos
March 26th, 2009 at 16:45
London 2012, the logo says SHIT…but why? I think it’s a joke, it can’t be serious.
I like Lillehammer.

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#120
Steeeezi
March 28th, 2009 at 08:15
Can i have a permission to use this post on my blog ?
It’s very cool topic

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#121
Walter
March 28th, 2009 at 20:23
You can certainly use it as a reference, however, you cannot copy the post. Attribution is necessary. Thanks.

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#122
logo
March 28th, 2009 at 19:24
Moscow – Summer 1980 is my favorite

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#123
Andrea Pelizzardi
March 30th, 2009 at 17:07
London – Summer 2012
WTF?! Horrible!
Moscow – Summer 1980
Is this the Atari Logo?
Turin – Winter 2006
The best

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#124
francis
April 3rd, 2009 at 09:27
Athens – Summer 2004——SIMPly SUPErb…………

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#125
sahil khan
April 4th, 2009 at 22:38
both upcoming ones are a turn off…and really disappointed with london games….best acc to me is sydney games 2000

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#126
Directory marocplus
April 6th, 2009 at 12:58
good logo a lot

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#127
Directory marocplus
April 6th, 2009 at 12:58
good logos
a lot

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#128
86000tb
April 12th, 2009 at 14:16
http://www.yuga.ru/media/sochi2014_new001.jpg

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#129
Sanid
April 17th, 2009 at 20:11
London 2012 man that one is really baddd !
Looks like its a design by a 9 year old kid man.

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#130
Trilbi
April 24th, 2009 at 13:34
I couldn’t actually believe my eyes when I got to the end of the logo’s to see London’s excuse for a logo….. wow….. I can’t believe the colours, the typeface, the shapes……. everything.
Scrolling down this thread, seeing SO many beautiful logo’s, becoming more and more modern, then BAM! vomit on the screen…. bad neon 80’s vomit. What were they thinking? Was a designer even employed to design this mess….

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#131
red
May 20th, 2009 at 17:43
i once saw a lineup of the 2012 London Olympics logo somewhere on the web. search for it and there’s this one particular logo which has a minimalistic design yet it looks perfect. here, i searched for it.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HZw9SxEiAIg/RmbX301lCzI/AAAAAAAAABE/mXA48mPDmNM/s1600-h/newolympics.jpg
it’s pretty unique. what do u guys think?

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#132
Lorie
May 23rd, 2009 at 03:21
2012 is so bad I did not even realize it was just 2012 with an extra ~square block in the middle.
I think the ones that imply physical motion (like 2000) are much more effective, as are the ones that use a locally recognized symbol with the olympic circles (like 1984 and 1988).

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#133
Simon
June 1st, 2009 at 00:13
The most talked about logo in the comments? London 2012.
I would argue this result goes beyond the subjectivity of visual aesthetic. This work has inspired the highest amount of strong feelings in a crowd. This logo wins HANDS DOWN.

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#134
Mrct
June 2nd, 2009 at 07:30
I really like the London logo, especially the shape of it, which is strangely fascinating.

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#135
Mohammed Hussain Kalsekar
June 13th, 2009 at 10:28
Amazing boy!! 2012 is the best for me..

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#136
wtf nigz
June 20th, 2009 at 00:55
I like 2012…i like how they incorporated the year into the design and it highlights youthfulness that has come back into the games…gone are the days when some countries would do anything to win..GOOD LOGO

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#137
Jalmerk
June 29th, 2009 at 17:55
My favourites are Beijing 2008, and Helsinki 1952. I think they both really represent their country pretty well.
But the London 2012 logo… oh my god… it looks like something i drew on paint when i was 9 years old.. its absolutely Hideous. They could atleast make the numbers a bit more obvious. And change the colours. then i’d like it. yea.

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#138
Jalmerk
June 29th, 2009 at 17:57
The Vancouver logo is nice. Not that special, but all in all a good logo

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#139
emmy
July 2nd, 2009 at 16:41
worst logo after the Berlin 1936 summer Olympics
is the dicy.chunky London 2012 absolutely sans
spirit, sportsmanship or any cultural content nor
does it aspire/inspire any graphic creativity

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#140
Keith
July 17th, 2009 at 00:53
My favourite is Turin, 2004.

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#141
Jessica
July 17th, 2009 at 01:22
Squaw Valley – Winter 1960 Is surprisingly modern
LOVE
Nagano – Winter 1998
Athens – Summer 2004
Beijing – Summer 2008
Vancouver – Winter 2010
HATE
London – Summer 2012

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#142
John
July 18th, 2009 at 21:40
I hate the London 2012 logo. It doesn’t even make sense! I think they were trying to make it a…weird…version of the Union Jack. I love Vancouver’s logo. If you are from another part of the world, other than Canada, you probably wouldn’t get it or like it. I like it because it symbolizes part of Canada’s aboriginal culture, AND it incorporates the Olympics. It looks “non-creative” but for someone to actually think of doing that is VERY creative! I think all of the 2000’s logos are great! But, still, London is TERRIBLE!

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#143
Glosh
July 23rd, 2009 at 09:51
Surely the london Logo 2012 needs to be revised it bright ……………for olympics
iwouldn,t love to keep it in my house either .

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#144
Muhammad Bilal
August 2nd, 2009 at 11:58
Thank you for the collection of the logos. We really enjoyed having a look at all of them together, it was like blast from the past. We have professional logo design experience and most of the logos in this collection inspired us but not the last one for London. It really is looking out of the shape, huge, and not good at all. I hope they will modify the logo, can they?

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#145
Aris
August 25th, 2009 at 17:43
Quickly scrolled through the comments, didn’t see any positives for the London2012. I would take the risk saying it is just perfect! I just love the fact that nobody almost accepts the logo. This is just the way it SHOULD be! The logo was released at 2007 or smth. it had to live additional 5 years prior coming out “live”. This is though. Of course they cannot modify the logo on the course as the design world moves on. Of course they won’t do that. It just has to be on the right line on the 2012. And it will. They will do absolutely everything needed (and they have the power) to teach the world – this is how you will be thinking at the 2012. Take a look at the 10 year old car. What a brilliant piece of design it was back these years, eh? And was it changed a lot since then? Of course, no. People’s mind was changed.

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#146
Soctane
August 28th, 2009 at 01:27
In three simple brush strokes, Barcelona conveyed joy, humanity, vigor, coolness, excitement. Nagano and Sydney came close to repeating that.
Vancouver’s is a bit cold. Just some rocks standing there with a silly grin slapped on its face.
The London logo, however, is just hard to look at. It is an angry design and gives me a headache.

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#147
Hmm
September 23rd, 2009 at 19:51
London’s is hideous.

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#148
JayDee
September 24th, 2009 at 01:12
What about the 1928 Amsterdam olympics? I’m missing the logo or a reference to it.

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#149
Angel
September 28th, 2009 at 19:13
ewww to the London logo, what where they thinking? It looks like somebody made it in Microsoft Paint lol.
Vancouver is cool because it is of cultural significance I don’t remember the name of the indigenous people from that area (I Don’t want to butcher that). But it looks unique.

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#150
Stan
February 3rd, 2010 at 20:58
Nice call on MS Paint!

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#151
Sani
October 13th, 2009 at 20:24
Love Vancouver’s logo!!!

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#152
ali Karim
October 20th, 2009 at 01:13
i love the bejing 2008 however i think that the england 2012 logo is really crap, its a design disaster gone bad and its all boris ‘idiot’ Johnson’s fault, i mean i could design a better logo with my eyes closed, really shameful given they design and art history of Britain…

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#153
Payne by name
February 17th, 2010 at 00:31
I’m disappointed with the London logo. It looks like something of a saturday morning kids programme and isn’t the showcase for British design that I would have liked to have seen.
Considering how cool many of our Olympic sports kits look nowadays, I would have hoped we could have done better.
However, it’s unfair to blame Boris Johnson for this atrocity.
The logo was revealed on the 4th June 2007. Boris didn’t take office as the London Mayor until 4th May 2008, so I’m baffled as to how he could have exerted influence on the logo. He wasn’t even selected as the conservative mayoral candidate until Sept 2007.

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#154
Gerben van Dijk
November 4th, 2009 at 14:36
I think especially the last couple (2010 and 2012) are completely unclear and not resembling the Olympic spirit.. Most of them are great, nice list!

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#155
zoeve
November 11th, 2009 at 09:26
love :
Nagano – Winter 1998
Mexico – Summer 1968
London 2012- weird?

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#156
Markus
November 14th, 2009 at 11:59
I wonder what they paid for this “logo” for london 2012. It is really bad!

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#157
onetallpoppy
November 14th, 2009 at 21:49
It was over $650,000 US dollars.

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#158
Alex
November 16th, 2009 at 23:31
Munich 2018 sounds promising… They think about a whole environment and not only about an ugly separate logo (who said London???):
http://www.muenchen2018.org/

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#159
Patrick
November 20th, 2009 at 03:11
to be totally honest, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the London 2012 logo. It looks cool; it’s modern; it’s unique; it’s even 80’s retro (my god, we’ve gotten to that point). Anyway, I like them all. the early, early ones don’t get me like the newer ones do, but hey, those were just meant to be classical looking, so whatev. I also just saw what the London 2012 one was: 20-12. for the longest time I thought it was some odd configuration of person with the Olympic logo being in the head/face part. I still dig it though. And no, I’m not color blind, I just have broad tastes.

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#160
Mattheww
November 26th, 2009 at 01:06
I love Rome’s! Haha… Romulus and his twin brother Remus being mothered by a she-wolf!

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#161
234
November 28th, 2009 at 00:40
MEOW!

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#162
stansult
December 1st, 2009 at 22:42
now Sochi 2014 has official emblem (the one listed above is candidate’s emblem):
sources:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/slideshow/ALeqM5gX4ObJW6OzBBtCOH2mo5GntBZcQwD9CAJOVG1?index=0
http://sochi2014.com/106629

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#163
Anana
December 3rd, 2009 at 11:41
Epic olympic fail

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#164
Any delapiedra
December 8th, 2009 at 01:25
The london logo is just not right. It does not transmit any of the games’ spirit. Surprising to see British design loosing its power. They are trying to be modern, but forgot to say anything about people, sports, spirit and London… too bad. Had a chance and lost it!

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#165
Jason Stobbe
December 11th, 2009 at 03:05
If you want the truth about these Satanic Logos and what is really in store for 2012 go to youtube and type in Gorilla199. If you only knew the truth!

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#166
Newton
December 14th, 2009 at 05:13
My congratulations to Wolff Olins, the outfit that designed the London 2012 logo. You’ve successfully created the worst looking logo in Olympic history. Even logos from the former communist block outshine you. The fact you guys got paid 400,000 pounds to create such rubbish makes me want to puke! But thanks anyway for making my logos look great in my clients eyes. I now use your logo as an example to my clients of ‘what not to do’ and it works a treat Cheers.

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#167
Osvaldo M.
December 16th, 2009 at 00:07
I am probably missing a lot of hidden meanings in the rest of the logos, but I loved the way they played around with the logo for Sydney – Summer 2000, it was not until i found the opera house, the 3 boomerangs, that i enjoyed and liked the logo, it’s all extremely well done. Munich 72 and Los Angeles 84 are way beyond horrible in my humble opinion

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#168
ammar hassan
December 24th, 2009 at 23:56
yeah i like the 2012 too, but beijing was the fascinating one for meeee

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#169
salamalekk
December 25th, 2009 at 06:49
Poor London!

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#170
profeivan
December 28th, 2009 at 21:28
Taking into account the importance of the event, I think the London logo is one of the worst logos ever “designed”. A logo must “speak” visually, no matter the language or the design explanations behind it. Es uno de los peores logos jamas diseñados.
Wouldn´t it be interesting (just for fun) to make some proposals and post them in some social network? (facebook, flicker)?

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#171
Ronster
December 29th, 2009 at 15:46
1st: Thanks for collecting and posting these logos. A great design study!
Squaw Valley started the trend toward modern design among the Olympic logos. It would be nice to see that in color. I really like Atlanta as well. Nice use of color, type, simple lines and organic shapes. Mexico 68 and Calgary 88 are cool too. Very memorable and fitting. Nagano 98 is nice but would have been better without the grey “shadows”.
I really to like the 2014 Sochi Olympics logo by Transformer Studio (the one that was not chosen). It lives and moves and speaks in context—which is what it should do.
I agree strongly; London 2012 is NOT good! It’s not interesting, there’s no “Ah-Ha”, no relationship to place or sport or anything.

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#172
Lars
December 31st, 2009 at 03:53
RE: London’s 2012 Logo and everyone’s negative reactions.
Your not supposed to like it. It’s designed for imprint on your mind the staged false flag operation they have planed for it.
Just look at the Munich ‘72 logo and what took place there.
Wait and see.

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#173
Karla
January 2nd, 2010 at 22:10
I love:
Innsbruck – 1964
Nagano – 1998
Sydney – 2000
Turin – 2006
And the London one? aaahhhh……..it’s going to be a strange 2012.

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#174
Colin
January 18th, 2010 at 04:29
I really like what Vancouver has done with their logo. It is easily recognizable, displays the olympic colours and shows Canadian character well. I think its one of the best logos of all.
the London design is aiming I think too much to young teens with a throw back to wild crazy and loud 80s colours. Its a very of the moment logo which will feel very dated very quickly and I just don’t like it.
Also like: Sydney, Nagano and Calgary.

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#175
Mike
January 18th, 2010 at 08:41
I’m very partial to the Calgary 1988 winter games and also the Salt Lake City 2002 winter games.
RE: I like the Vancouver winter games for this year.
As for the london games in 2012, I hope they didn’t pay actual money for that monstrosity.

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#176
ElectricSun
January 18th, 2010 at 23:39
I’ve always been a fan of Otl Aicher’s designs for the 1972 Munich Olympics, especially the logo. There have been some nice ones since, but was Munich’s that made the tide mark.
Nice collection.

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#177
Webby Design Guru
January 29th, 2010 at 13:47
It is really a nice collection of logos.Cool stuff!!!

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#178
Matt
January 29th, 2010 at 23:38
I love the 2012 logo: combining the characters “2012″ and a stylised man dancing – genius.
It’s bold, it’s striking, and it conveys the festival spirit that London is aiming for.

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#179
Stan
February 3rd, 2010 at 20:56
Good – Salt Lake, Sapporo
Bad – is London’s 2012 thing even a logo?

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#180
Joe Ray
February 5th, 2010 at 23:28
Damn, that London logo still scares me! I’ve avoided looking at it but now that I see it, it still gives me that uneasy WTF feeling. Has anyone seen the NFL’s Superbowl 2011 standardized logo recently done for next year? The Blue Hairs have totally castrated the image with a lack of inspiration and imagination.

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#181
Duy Nguyen
February 9th, 2010 at 11:21
Top 10
01. Mexico 1968
02. Torino 2006
03. Munich 1972
04. Nagano 1998
05. Albertville 1992
06. Sydney 2000
07. Lillehammer 1994
08. Seoul 1988
09. Calgary 1988
10. Barcelona 1992
London 2012 gives people heart attacks!

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#182
Will Ooi
February 10th, 2010 at 03:46
My favourites are Mexico 68, Nagano 98, Moscow 80.
Scrolling down the page was really nice, seeing all those rustic, classic designs slowly evolve over time, a lovely snapshot of art almost immediately distinguishable with their respective decades … and then it ends with London 2012 – a colossal block of pain.
And I mean, quite literally, pain.

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#183
@webnathy
February 10th, 2010 at 04:49
59 684 people on Facebook think that London 2012 olympics logo looks like lisa simpson giving head: http://bit.ly/bmunRG
I think so!

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#184
website designers
February 11th, 2010 at 18:44
I really like athens 2004. in all honesty london 2012 is the worst.

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#185
lordy
February 11th, 2010 at 18:45
Here you can find the real logo for Canada 2010! http://www.peta.de/olympiaschande2010

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#186
Jon Raasch
February 11th, 2010 at 18:45
It’s funny to me the ones that don’t use the olympic rings logo (like Munich, ‘72)…I look at that logo and I definitely don’t think olympics at all.

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#187
Jonathan Franzone
February 11th, 2010 at 18:45
Agreed. I think the London 2012 olympics logo is fail.

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#188
Prosto photos
February 11th, 2010 at 18:49
You should’ve included the Sochi 2014 logo too: http://sochi2014.com/en/ — it sucks, of course, but should be included on the list, I guess.

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#189
gorf
February 11th, 2010 at 18:56
The London 2012 looks like a late 80s album cover, and a bad one at that.

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#190
Bart
February 11th, 2010 at 18:58
You’re missing the 1928 Amsterdam games logo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1928_Summer_Olympics

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#191
Alejandro Briz
February 11th, 2010 at 19:02
Barcelona,Athenas,Beijing is great jobs. But the new logo of London is to heavy.

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#192
Jimmy Chocolates
February 11th, 2010 at 19:05
London 2012 is the best – the rest are rubbish

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#193
Erness
February 11th, 2010 at 19:10
GREAT POST!
From all the logos of this collection, I really like the Calgary 88 Logo! It’s simple but quite good! also like the handmade font of Sidney 2000!
BUT WTF with Vancouver 2010 logo???? IT’S HORRIBLE! and London 2012! Is thas supossed to be a logo??? I really feel it’s a sign that the world will actually end in 2012! TERRIBLE design!

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#194
WeAreNorth
February 11th, 2010 at 19:13
Was the LA ‘84 logo designed by Vince McMahon. Fugly. Sorry.
The Moscow 80 logo is genius. Looking at it is like watching Rocky IV.

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#195
daniel
February 11th, 2010 at 19:35
wow, muc ‘72 is so a different level.

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#196
@derekvigil
February 11th, 2010 at 19:40
I did a project exactly like this in art school. The Vancouver logo is clean and conservative. The London logo is kind of refreshing given the previous logos. It will be interesting to see how it is used. Only then I will say if I like/dislike it.

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#197
jay
February 11th, 2010 at 20:12
I’m a big fan of Mexico and Munich!
A tip of the hat to Montreal for sucessfully getting the middle finger into their logo.

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#198
LewisK
February 11th, 2010 at 20:22
I am actually a fan of the London 2012 logo – I think the fact that you’ve embedded it as the largest image out of all the logos on the page doesn’t help it’s cause though! Try dropping the size a bit or using it in context of the brand guidelines and I bet it works better.
The font used for ‘London’ is a shocker though, but it’s certainly a brand that is adaptable and very easily recognisable. You can see how it will roll out across all medias; with digital and tv in mind especially. Olympic logos are far more than just a logo on a t-shirt these days, I guess.

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#199
nicolas cornwall
February 11th, 2010 at 21:00
Thank you LewisK!!!! I browsed all the comments searching for this kind of point of view! I love this logo!!
My point of view:
First break: 1964 with insbruck and tokio (love the tokyo one!) simple shapes, plain colors, simplicity, efficiency
second break: 1992, barcelona, hand made logo, dynamism, emotion, worldwide.
third break: 2012, london- stands out, unique, it says “I’m future!”. london will win a lot with this image, people wil remind this logo for decades and associate london to this uniqueness, this trendiness. I just love this logo.
And if you still doubt it, look at wolf ollins website for the brand guidelines, it just looks great.
And to finish: vancouver logo: I won’t say anything, just copy and past jeremy’s comment:
Vancouver… the fatty olympics?
Nice article though!
I’ll tweet it right now

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#200
Isa
February 11th, 2010 at 22:26
Good research, thanx for sharing. My favorite is Athens 2004. Even when i don´t think London 2012 is the best logo ever, i do believe is efective. Everybody knows it and talks about it, and for sure it would be unforgetable.

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#201
AMD GRAFIX
February 12th, 2010 at 00:31
Just by observation, I divided the progress of the Olympic logo design into two parts. The first part from Paris of 1924 upto Sarajevo of 1984, is classical. The second part is from Los Angeles Summer 1984 up to the present or future of London 2012 is modern. You can feel the movement of the olympic logo design as it gradually converts from classic to modern. I love all the logos. Thanks for this.

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#202
daniel
February 13th, 2010 at 07:35
i know people think the vancouver logo is strange but if you are canadian you will understand. the natives would place rocks like that to show where they have been so its a tribute to the natives. but kinda dumb cause other cultures wont understand

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#203
savvysavingbytes
February 14th, 2010 at 02:20
The last 2 designs – Vancouver and London – fail for me, the main reason being their lack of life. Neither suggests motion. And to me that’s what the Olympics are about. Bodies and spirits in motion.
My favorite is Innsbruck ‘64.

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#204
picaso
February 14th, 2010 at 10:37
How can you say it’s about bodies and spirits in motion and pick Innsbruck’64 as your favorite? Unless I’m just not picking up your sarcasm, and you mean that it’s your favorite bad logo.

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#205
savvysavingbytes
February 20th, 2010 at 02:48
Actually I do see motion in the logo. No sarcasm involved. The top curves in the coat of arms suggest mountains to me. The thinness of the Olympic circles and the way they barely touch with their white outer edges suggest swooping motions. And in the the curve of the Innsbruck type itself, I see skiing down a mountain and ski jumping.
It’s interesting how people can look at the same thing and interpret it so differently.

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#206
picaso
February 21st, 2010 at 01:34
You’re absolutely right, it is interesting how people see different things. I don’t see motion at all. To me, it’s one of the most stationary logos there is. It says on Wiki that the two indentations caused by the rings represent the two Olympics that Innsbruck hosted. I could see that being true for the ‘76 logo, but not for ‘64 since they’re virtually the same logo. And in ‘64 they obviously hadn’t hosted two games. The description must have been added by some knuckle-head.
I’m inclined to think the indentations were just to accommodate the rings, and the fact that they look like two mountain peeks is just coincidental.
Personally, I’m a huge fan of Olympic logos. You’ll never see more basic examples of each culture’s design styles and symbolism at that moment in time. Good or Bad. Thanks for the back & forth. You have a valid point. The direct meaning of these logos is often different than what the individual may see, or feel.

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#207
daniel
February 16th, 2010 at 04:31
my fav are vancouver, montreal and calgary. just so u no im not canadian

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#208
Kathleen
February 16th, 2010 at 20:46
Vancouver because it captured the “theme” of the wilderness and ancient times. The figure looks like stacked stone, or feel of a totem.
I also like Beijing because it’s lyrical, and hints at a chinese character……
London is GOSH awful!!!! Looks like someone threw it together as a last minute freshman design project, an overnighter. What the heck!!! They paid money for that? Worse yet, that’s the best they had to choose from in the whole design community? Is this a committee member’s kid brother/sister?

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#209
Kathleen
February 16th, 2010 at 20:49
(like Turin and Nagano a lot too)

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#210
vnikey
February 17th, 2010 at 19:29
My favourite one is Nagano.
As for London 2012 o.O it needs to be revisited!

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#211
Danou
February 18th, 2010 at 09:59
Ugly ! The logo for 2010 is really ugly !!!
What a shame !

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#212
Anne
February 21st, 2010 at 13:35
I like the following logos because they reflect the city/country well
Athens – The laurel wreath harking back to the Ancient Olympic Games reminds us of its
origins. Beautiful colors too.
Sydney – The use of Boomerangs to form the body of a gymnast with the Opera House
as the ribbon is a stroke of genius.
Vancouver – The logo pays homage to the First Nations and is the symbol of Illanaaq
(inukshuk) a symbol of welcome that acted as a guidepost for travelers
across the snowy north.

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#213
Alex
February 24th, 2010 at 07:11
The first logo that useing a web address is SOCHI 2014:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/51/Sochi_logo_for_the_2014_Winter_Olympics.svg/200px-Sochi_logo_for_the_2014_Winter_Olympics.svg.png

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#214
annabella
February 25th, 2010 at 13:13
- my fave is nango 1998 by far. i like how it has movement, hidden shapes of people, and just seems to burst.
- calgary ‘88, is awesome. Simple but effective. (but the color is kind of dull)
-i really like the fonts used for Sydney and Beijing. I also love Beijing’s symbol, it’s asian looking lol.
- vancouver’s is excellect, i like the history and symbolism behind it, and it’s recognizable.
- london’s… well… i can see what they were trying to go for.. the geometricness of it is a good idea, and i’m not opposed to pink, and other bright colors because they’ve never been done before. it had potential, but in the end it was just a fail. it looks cheap and amature, and at first i thought it was a joke. i also like logos with a symbol, or picture, and i don’t really like the one’s where there is just the city name a a number

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#215
Tom
February 27th, 2010 at 21:53
I prefer Nagano. More dynamic – shows disciplines – use olympics’ colours – has a nice and strong structure.
2011 – Nice one too. It represents Canada very well. It either has a refreshing look and it is artistic.
2012 – I don’t understand this … England use to be great in music industry and usually good artist, that visual no link with the Olympics taste. Would OK for small coffee shop or something like that. took me a while to see the big 2012. Maybe it will be nice with the promo product like jackets caps … but it could have been a much better work done on this.

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#216
Roger
March 1st, 2010 at 20:20
The munich is the best and so is the Mexico…….i like black and white

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#217
Gino
March 1st, 2010 at 21:24
The London 2012 Logo should be blown up! They should seriously consider changing it because it’s disgusting.
Atlanta 1996 is the most uncool logo of them all…downright hideous.
I really love Lake Placid ‘32
and a few others like Mexico and Moscow and Helsinki

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#218
Julie
March 2nd, 2010 at 17:35
Montreal is beautiful, my favorite one! It pops out from the others with its simplicity,
love it!

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#219
alex
March 3rd, 2010 at 23:18
dang man all of the logos are crap except for the mexico one its the best

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#220
Mike
March 5th, 2010 at 12:05
Love looking back at old olympic logo’s. I’m actually a big fan of the london 2012 logo, most people are jumping on the band wagon of the general populus. As a designer myself, I understand it. Look how different it is, it screams change and pace, with dynamic shape and movement, it’s youthful and can be used across various applications. Congrats Wolf Ollins on creating something truely original for London that will still look shocking and spot on in 50 years times.
Also love the Lillehammer very nice indeed.

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#221
Claudia Gómez
March 5th, 2010 at 21:10
Mexico – (Summer 1968) is the best!
It is considered one of the most successful as far as innovation and visual proposal is concerned.
Marked tendency in the design of that era, with a design on one side used as a basis the optical art, one of the vanguards of the time, and the other was part of the colorful handicrafts Huichol.
For over 40 years if done this event, remains a myth and a reference in the schools of graphic design, urban designers and architects

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#222
alexis fuller
March 12th, 2010 at 19:20
Mexico is the best. The new one sucks completely. Horrible!

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#223
dearro
April 1st, 2010 at 22:31
Beijing is the best one! That figure is also a Chinese word for something… I forgot…

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#224
Alex P
June 13th, 2010 at 02:12
the word “JING”, Capital. (”bei” means northern)

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#225
Billy
April 21st, 2010 at 19:45
A very interesting collection, So many I don’t remember, it’s good to see them side by side,
Thank you,
Billy

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#226
iZabotin
April 22nd, 2010 at 00:27
And now we new logo for Sochi 2014 http://sochi2014logo.ru

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#227
deniz
May 10th, 2010 at 01:07
did anyone heard about that the london logo actually spells ZION and was intended to be another more or less hidden, lets say “masonic symbol”? look it up on google if you are interested in. moreover, does anyone of you guys know logos refering to be masonic,
like AOL or CBS?

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#228
that guy
May 11th, 2010 at 05:56
londons sucks

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#229
kkes
May 12th, 2010 at 14:57
Serious… does anyone remember any logo (besides the five rings)?
If WDD hadn’t list the logo I wouldn’t have remember the logos

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#230
J-man! :D
May 18th, 2010 at 19:30
Well I hate the London 2012 Olympic Logo.
I’m agreeing with dearro with this —luvin the Beijing 2008 logo!
Chinese people rule!
lol

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#231
Chris
May 20th, 2010 at 02:08
Ugh, I simply hate the 2012 logo. And it cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to come up with such rubbish!! Someone described it as Lisa Simpson giving head to Bart Simpson . . .

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#232
Graham
May 25th, 2010 at 13:03
The London 2012 logo has no set colour scheme. It’s designed to be versatile for a digital age. some of the alternative colour schemes i’ve seen have really improved the logo. The London Olympic committee have admitted making an error by unveiling the logo in the garish pink/blue/orange colour schemes and not making it clear about the versatility of the design.
Here are a few different versions i’ve seen
http://wemadethis.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/06/05/lloyds_2012.jpg
http://www.lloydstsblondon2012.co.uk/_assets/images/olympics.png
http://www.wharf.co.uk/2012logoWEB.jpg
I used to really dislike it, but i’m now starting to see why they chose such a forward looking design. It’s a grower!

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#233
She Ji Si
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:51
Bejing Olympic’s branding is a hueg sucess compared to the others. it reflects well on the culture and olympic spirit. Not just the brillant logo, the extensive branding of the sport icon are well illustrated too.
London 2012 logo looks decent compared to it’s mascot.
hahahave a nice day.

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#234
Alex P
June 13th, 2010 at 02:10
Don’t understand why anybody would like Atlanta’s. It is extremely unimaginative and rigid, especially if you compare it with other logos in the 90’s. I don’t mind seeing it in the earlier 20th century, but to have a lazy tight-bottom design like that in 1996 is unforgivable. I immediately feels outdated within, like, 5 years.
Personally I like:
Helsinki 1952: imagine how innovative it must be back in the 50’s
Squaw Valley 60: works well monochrome. The text circle works surprisingly well.
Tokyo 64: can’t get simpler than that, yet its identity is clearest.
Mexico, Munich. A break, then I like everyone from Salt Like onward.
My take on London’s:
Don’t know what to say… really don’t. I want to try to keep an open mind and accept the form, but the bottom line is–it doesn’t say much. I am sorry, but London isn’t him enough to pull this off.
BY THE WAY SINCE PEOPLE ARE ASKING: the Chinese character in the Beijing logo says “JING”, i.e. capital.

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#235
Alex P
June 13th, 2010 at 02:14
I mean “London isn’t HIP enough”

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#236
Punta del Este
June 14th, 2010 at 22:33
ok the london 2012 is horrible, HORRIBLE

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#237
Advin Netto
July 9th, 2010 at 02:49
I liked these three logos
1] Moscow – Summer 1980
2] Athens – Summer 2004
3] Turin – Winter 2006
But London – Summer 2012 is horrible..
whether our designers are growing down or what?
Is dat a logo or a poster?
Anyways this is the advise for the guys who developed that logo
Before coming up with the final design they have to think that is going to be a big event and it will be published all over the world!

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#238
JD
July 15th, 2010 at 22:43
Yeah, the London 2012 logo really is much too vibrant. I don’t like it very much either.
But still, the worst in my opinion is Munich 1972. No reference at all to the Olympic Games I think.
I really like Lillehammer 1994 and Torino 2006.

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#239
Advertising Agency Singapore
July 19th, 2010 at 02:40
Paris – Summer 1924: Simple and beautiful line art.
Lake Placid – Winter 1932: Reminds me of American WPA posters in the 1930s.
Tokyo – Summer 1964: One of my favorites of all the Olympic logos.
Mexico – Summer 1968: Exceptionally well thought out and designed.
Atlanta – Summer 1996: Quite like the unique colour palette for this one.
Ho Li Lin, Graphic Designer

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#240
anthony
July 25th, 2010 at 08:15
My Favorite was Barcelona, Athens and Sydney.
The 2012 one is just plian disgusting, what the hell were they thinking? Ive seen other designs that were purposed and they are all a lot better than that.
You’ll be relieved to know however, the Rio De Janerio for 2016 looks quite nice.

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#241
amy
July 31st, 2010 at 11:58
NYC’s candidate city 2012 logo was awesome….too bad London was chosen instead and came up with that hideosity…

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