The London 2012 Olympics are all over the news today, as in two years' time the circus will be underway and we'll either be praising the inventiveness of Danny Boyle's opening ceremony, or grumpily muttering something about it "not being as good as Beijing". But then, Beijing did have that amazing movable type sequence so from a print anorak's viewpoint it will be hard to top.
The accompanying hoopla surrounding this it'll-be-here-before-we-know-it event naturally started me thinking about whether or not there is likely to be an Olympian boost for a PrintWeek reader or two. Opinion is divided. There will, of course, be the need to 'dress' the Olympic village but a contact in the outdoor/p-o-s field describes this as "a modest local requirement" in the general scheme of things.
In terms of other items, the stated desire to extend the Olympian vibe across the capital is likely to involve lots of posters, banners and lamppost pennants, but as these already exist ('no council tax rise this year', etc) it won't be additional work so much as a topical campaign.
Programmes, leaflets, maps and tickets will all be additional items and I am eager to hear from anyone who's a known winner among that little lot.
What else? Some merchandise is already on sale, including various printed t-shirts and similar garments. Even a duvet cover set, although the absence of a kingsize variant seems to be something of an omission.
Given the amount of noise devoted to 2012 being a sustainable Olympics I had high hopes that T Shirt & Sons of Wiltshire would be in the frame for the branded garment/cotton bag for life type products, as far as I'm aware the firm is still Europe's only certified organic garment printer and its ethical sourcing approach is to be admired. Unfortunately the 2012 garments all seem to be 'made in Turkey', the bed linen Pakistan, the stuffed toy China (of course). Sigh.
As such, my imaginary Olympic benefit barometer is not exactly rising at this point in time, but I would love to hear from print businesses for whom the games are, or will be, providing a boost.
