london 2012 olympic pictograms are best yet October 18th, 2009 by Nikola
some one designed the new london 2012 olympic pictograms
this is really awesome work. here is why:
first, they had to follow the main london 2012 brand done by wolff olins, and they followed it quite well. it is not easy to build on someone elses work, and especially such controversial and particular work, to make something which looks and feels same. they achieved this. pictograms fit right in with the logo, logo fits well with pictograms, they compliment each other. if you like the 2012 logo or not (i love it) you still have to accept that some one additional works very well.
second, some one studied the sport, the movements, the moments. most previous pictograms have been easy abstractions which present movements and shapes which never happen in sport. sort of physics defining moments that have nothing to do with biomechanics or the competition. this is great if you are vignelli making anew york subway map but i think sports should be respected in as much detail as possible because athletes spend decades perfecting these movements. sports is about details and olympic games is about sports. sport is dedication and obsession with most smallest details and respect of such by pictograms designers is most welcome.
third, pictograms have solved some very hard challenges. for example a lot of old swimming pictograms show the freestyle starting block, not the swimmer actually - quite boring. runners have been shown in bizarre positions. multisports like triathon and pentathlon have been shown by runners with dots which is just plain slacking - running is not so dominant and confuses spectators and athletes. some one really tried hard to understand sports and present them. there are five pictograms with have bicycles (road, track, downhill, mtb, triathlon) and all are very clear, no mistakes, no confusions, to the point, emotional, and inspiring, perfect moments are picked.
some interesting details:
swimming pictogram shows the palm in a really interesting and detailed position. it is very precise and shows freestyle technique perfectly with the palm being behind the shoulder before the middle of recovery. palm is bended not to touch the water surface - a swimmer with longer arms? this shows how much time they spent to understand the particular sport. this is no accident. they probably went through 100s of images of swimmers to pick one that works so well.
boxing one is also great. half hook from the side. nice moment. typical one which scores points or wins a match. 
mountain bikes is more upward that the road cyclist who is more upward that the track cyclist.
modern pentathlon i really like. it tells a story and pays equal respect to each discipline.
triathlon one is also cool as it shows the transition from swim to bike which is crucial for gaining a proper position in itu rules (olympic) triathlon. if this was an icon for draft illegal long distance triathlons it would not work, but for draft legal short olympic rules it works perfectly. some one either got it by accident or they understood the strategy of the sport: fast swim, catch a good group, stay in, gain position on the run. t1, the first transition, is an important element of the race even though it is neglected in media. also the pictogram shows water, running and the bike (all three).
it is cool that some one tried hard to get close to athletes and sports, and did not keep a snobbish designer distance which was common from the past. with more and more information availabe spectators understand sports much more and want also people who work for olympics to share their enthusiasm. i think previous designers who mostly treated this work as an abstract art piece could have gotten this job 30 years ago but hopefully not any more. today it is important to understand what you are making, to really understand it and ti respect it in as much detail as possible. some one did not just do what they wanted and expected the audience to adore their work, but their got into the subject.
some one have done modest and hard work, a service to the event, audience and sports community. best olympic pictograms ever!
bravo!
vignelli and norda did the same with the new york subway map, they studied and respected the purpose of their work. aicher’s work on pictograms was unfortunately limited by technology so he had no choice but to be simple and abstract. also not much competition in those days. which is what makes vignelli’s and norda’s work also so awesome.
what i do not like with aicher’s work is that some of the icons are confusing: modern pentathlon uses a horse rider and five dots(?!?!) and volleyball could easily be basketball. some one cleared out these problems so well.
etc etc
i could write a book on this now… very good work…