In essence the logo is a stylised image of the number 2012 unified into a spiky and jagged whole. It incorporates the word London, but without an initial capital letter. Seeing the name London downgraded to uniform lower-case is demeaning and regrettable. Also embedded in the form is the Olympic interlocking rings. Apparently the logo can be rendered in magenta, pink, orange, or green.
Some of the instant judgements on the design have been bilious and spiteful as represented by ‘puerile rubbish’, ‘hideous’, ‘an artistic flop’, ‘feeble’, and ‘commercial scandal’. Equally some of the interpretations of the design have been rasping
and strident, instanced by ‘chav running for an exit’, ‘misguided attempt to rehabilitate the swastika’, ‘graffiti at your local bus stop’, and ‘a tomato that has hit a wall at great speed’.
Hardly surprisingly, the Wolff Olins agency that created the logo has defended the work as ‘timeless and modern’. On observing the logo in action on a full-page newspaper advertisement for the first time, I must say that the design may well be effective and gain in credibility.
Formed in 1965, the Wolff Olins agency has an impressive track record (note the Olympic allusion) with corporate identity programmes for Renault, BOC, British Telecom, ICI, Prudential, and others. We must endeavour to keep an open mind, even under the most provocative of conditions.
The Olympic sport of logo bashing
Nothing equals a new logotype for fomenting public outrage. Arguably, the disquiet that greeted the introduction of the logo for the London Olympic Games was unprecedented in its venom and immediacy. As 400,000 of public money has been expended on the branding, I guess the right to criticise cannot be denied.
