London 2012′s crappy logo

06 June 2007 in Marketing by Stilgherrian | 5 comments

There really isn’t a polite way of putting it, is there? This new branding for London 2012 (formerly known as the Olympic Games) is a shocker. How did they manage to get it so wrong?

Logo for the London 2012 Olympics

The Sydney Morning Herald headlined their story Olympic logo gets the thumbs down and referred to comparisons with “a disfigured swastika”.

But the Wikipedia entry has the best material so far. A reader of free newspaper London Lite pointed out a resemblance to Lisa Simpson performing oral sex.

A segment of animated footage released at the same time as the logo triggered seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. London 2012 removed the offending footage from its website.

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Tags: branding, london 2012

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Stilgherrian on 06 June 2007 at 11:47 am

Alex, Head of New Media at London 2012, has written a blog entry which completely fails to mention the adverse reactions to the logo while still making excuses for it.

It’s not about the shape. It’s not about the colours. It’s about what we can do with it — there is a lot more to see, and you’ll see it soon.

And:

Most of all this is a brand to live up to which will force us to deliver a games in a way which no other host city has ever done — not a comfortable blazer badge with “endearing” qualities or cute London skylines but a big statement of intent.

We said we’d be bold. We will be. Would you want it any other way?

Well, a brand that somehow said “London” or “England” or “sport” or “global” might have been nice… I don’t see people exerting themselves to the utmost in the spirit of a fluoro pink somethingorother.

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Pingback from Stilgherrian · Is London 2012 skewing their blog commentary? on 07 June 2007 at 9:28 am
Pingback from Stilgherrian · Alex Balfour wins points for London 2012 on 10 June 2007 at 9:34 am
Richard on 10 June 2007 at 5:30 pm

A Keith Haring design for ‘Mambo’ surf wear?

Some sort of Rorschach inkblot test?

If it’s the latter, God help me – because I see Lisa Simpson going down on a bloke.

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Richard on 10 June 2007 at 5:32 pm

‘I don’t see people exerting themselves to the utmost in the spirit of a fluoro pink somethingorother’

You never watched ‘Aerobics Oz Style’, did you?

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