The Adnostic

I admit it - I'm a hater. The Olympics, like London, has a history and refined culture that should be reflected in the logo design. On the surface this just looks like some designers put their ego before the greater task at hand and gave the committee something even Picasso would need a minute to understand. It also really does look like Lisa Simpson giving head.

And just think of the poor bastards who are lucky and skilled and talented enough to actually win a medal. They're going to have that fugly logo on their lifelong symbol of achievement. They're probably going to want to mount it in a frame just so that friends, family, and future generations only have to see the see the classical international Olympic logo on the one side and not be faced with the hideous blobs for years to come.

Now for the elements I do like:

It is original. It is a refreshingly different take on what is normally a key piece of brand identity that is usually noticed once and immediately forgotten. It is also polarizing. On an intellectual level, I love polarizing. It inspires passionate love or fervent hate (too bad I fall under fervent hate). Truth be told, this is a logo I doubt anyone will find easy to brush aside and easily dismiss, and that's a good thing.

Think about it. When was the last time an Olympic logo inspired this much enthusiastic debate? Beijing hasn't even happened and we can't stop talking about something four years from now. Holy heck that's great! I may not like the look, but I'm loving the response and as a planner, I have got to go with the reaction generated and say that Wolf Olins did a fantastic job.

Then there is the brand identity video that I just fell in love with.

When the Dream Team of USA Basketball was formed, and the mild debate of allowing professional athletes to complete in the Olympic games was had, it made me sad. For me, part of the appeal of watching the games was seeing relative nobodies, anybodies, rise to great feats of athleticism. These were people who were at the top of their game and may not see professional competition. Their crowning moment was just being there and if they came home with a medal then they may as well have just died and gone to heaven, then they went to Disneyland.

As a kid I saw myself in those anybodies. That was the real dream.

The brand video revives that dream, by making personal elevation though sport an attainable goal. Bike to get in better shape. Earn a karate black belt at 70 to maintain fitness, agility, and mental health. Lose weight to feel better about yourself and help others with the same problem. Recognize the heroic athletic achievements that happen every day the amateur athletes all around us. That is the new dream.

Apparently the look of the logo is supposed to still evolve. I'm hoping that if it refines at all, that I will one day love the logo as much as I love the brand identity.