What I really appreciated in London’s ability to secure the 2012 Olympic games – winning against Paris – was how they thought, selected and packaged their vision. I recall that that vision was around youth : how the young generation today would make the athletes of 2012.
It is then quite coherent to select a logo in tune with this vision and targeting young people. It’s a four block-style jagged and coloured pieces which form the number 2012.
“It’s vital that we reach out to those young people in a language that they understand and in technology that’s familiar to them” said Senastian Coe, chairman of the London 2012 committee.
The logo was designed by branding firm Wolff Olins for $ 796, 000. To become a popular brand, it has yet to be leveraged through marketing and licensing. It would then recoup its investment and generate revenues.
It created a lot of controversy and most of the folks really hate it : Tom Lutz “hideous”, Stephen Bayley from the London’s design Museum “artistic flop”, incondite, unpopular, 80% dislike it in a BBC poll.
But some like it too. And i do too. I think that people will play with it, that the colors are great, that anyone worldwide can get it, that you can look at it again and again with increased pleasure, that it’s new, young dynamic and fun. It needs time to establish a brand and it’s definitely not only about democracy, but about vision.
Think Apple, Nike, Coca Cola, Lacoste, Mercedes, Do you think that they polled the audience when they launched? Probably not. Yet they did win the public, and at some point, this logo will have to swing public opinion the other way.