Explore the evolution and history of Olympic branding, from the iconic rings to host city logos.
The history of sponsorships at the Olympics
The evolution of host city Olympic logos
What makes a great Olympic logo
The Olympics capture the attention of billions of people every two years, and for good reason. The Games rarely disappoint to entertain, from record-breaking solo performances and stunning team comebacks to the incredible stories athletes share. Few events bring the world together like the fierce competition of the Olympics, offering athletes, host cities, and brands the chance to show their best on the world stage.
Behind the athletic feats and inspiring stories lies a rich history of branding and design that has evolved over more than a century. In this digest we explore the historical development, and design evolution of the Olympic brand, from its iconic rings to the diverse host city logos. We'll examine how the Olympics have leveraged sponsorships, adapted to changing media landscapes, and created some of the world's most recognizable visual identities. Join us as we uncover the fascinating journey of Olympic branding and its impact on the Games' enduring appeal.
The story of advertising and sponsorships at the Olympics begins in Athens, Greece, during the 1896 Games, when stamps were sold to help fund the event. In 1908, OXO became the first official sponsor of the Olympics, providing athletes with beef stock drinks for energy. Jump forward to 1928, when Coca-Cola signed its first contract with the Games and remains a major sponsor 104 years later.
As media consumption trends shifted with the advent of household TV sets, so did the Olympics' funding structure. By the 1970's, most of the revenue generated came from TV broadcasting deals. By the time 1980 rolled around and Juan Antonio Samaranch became president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympics were losing money and it was time for a change. The new president adopted a program inspired by the Los Angeles Organizing Committee that created scarcity and exclusivity for sponsorship agreements. The new structure limited one corporate sponsor to any category, as we see today.
This program is called the Olympic Partner Programme (TOP), and it gives companies exclusive rights to the Olympic symbol for their own marketing and features their products and services throughout the Games. These sponsorships cost upwards of $500 million, and with major brands like Airbnb, Bridgestone, and Visa signing multi-Olympic-cycle deals, the IOC reports they will bring in over $1.34 billion in sponsorship dollars this year.
Branding is more important than ever as the Olympic Movement continues to grow worldwide and bring in more sponsorship dollars. Few symbols are more iconic than the Olympic rings, which are easily recognized by billions of people and act as the cornerstone of the brand.
First presented in 1913 by Pierre de Coubertin, the sketch of the rings largely resembles what we see today. The order of the colors remains the same, beginning with blue and going to yellow, black, green, and then red. The color and number of rings represent "the activity of the Olympic Movement and represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games." We see a few differences between the original sketch by Coubertin and today's logo.
- The rings overlap differently. Today's version reverses the overlap effect and drops the original 3D shadow effect.
- The cleanliness of the rings has dramatically improved, but we'll cut Coubertin some slack— he didn't have Adobe Illustrator.
- Today's logo is taller than the original, forming the iconic trapezoid shape that is now synonymous with the games.
How did we get here?
In 1914, the rings made their first public appearance on the Olympic Flag, which was set to be flown at the 1916 games in Berlin. While these Games were canceled due to WWI, the rings survived and debuted at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, Belgium. After 37 years, the IOC changed the design to the one we are more familiar with today. The 1957 logo bridges the 1920 and 1986 versions, retaining the thicker circles seen in early versions but switching to the interlacing pattern and trapezoidal shape we see today. In 1986, the IOC began using a version that closely resembles the current logo but with spaces between all the rings. Overall, the logo follows a trend of thinner rings, increased vertical height, and a change in overlapping patterns.
The Olympics has an incredibly long history with logos tied to each event, giving us a fascinating view into the trends, styles, and design principles of the time they were created. The branding for each year's games must be highly versatile to represent the host city while reflecting the Olympic brand standards. The host city branding must look good across various applications, including the web, print, merchandise, signage, and beyond. The logo sets the tone for all the brand elements while setting the tone for the local stories of each Olympic Games.
-1.png)
The logos fall into five distinct groups. The early logos have a grandiose and "World's Fair" type of feel. They primarily utilize serif fonts, aligning with the trends of the era. Despite the Olympic rings debuting in 1920 in Antwerp, they were left off several early Olympic logos. Wondering where the Winter Olympics have been in all of this? The first Winter Olympics were hosted in Chamonix, France, and the distinctly 'alpine' feel contrasts sharply with the corresponding 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.
One logo that stands out is from the Third Olympiad, which has a distinctly Greek style but was held in St. Louis, Missouri, during the 1904 World's Fair.
This era of logos is one of our favorites— it offers a simple yet iconic symbol that uniquely ties the location to the Olympic Games. Beginning in 1960, the Squaw Valley Olympic Games utilize a red, white, and blue set of triangles to form a snowflake, representing the deep snow totals seen in this region and the colors of the United States flag. Other U.S. Games use the red, white, and blue colorway, including Lake Placid in 1980 and Los Angeles in 1984.
Mexico 1968 and Tokyo 2020 also stand out. The Mexico logo beautifully integrates the Olympic Rings with the "68" on the right side, and the font pays homage to the patterns seen in the artwork of the Huichol, an Indigenous people of Mexico, mixed in a modern, pop-art style.
The Tokyo Games in 2020 were a symbol of hope for many coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The logo incorporated the message of "Unity in Diversity" by using a checkered pattern of three different rectangular shapes to represent the various countries, cultures, and ways of thinking present at the Olympics. This set of logos uses refined colors to convey a clear message about the location and showcase motion to generate excitement.
Looking at this set of logos from the late '90s to 2022, we can see a consistent usage of the red, yellow, blue, green, and black utilized in the Olympic rings. These logos use a sense of motion to represent the action and fluidity the athletes bring to their sports. A tribute to the design styles of the time, Barcelona 1992, Sydney 2000, Nagano 1998, and Albertville 1992 all use a paint-like stroke and some basic shadowing to add movement and flex new design capabilities.
Only one of these logos has a name, the Vancouver Inukshuk-style figure named "Ilanaaq," which translates to "friend" in Inuktitut, the native language of the Canadian Inuit. The stone figure stands atop Whistler Mountain, where many of the events were held, and is meant to represent Canadians' warmth and friendliness as they greet visitors from around the world. Rio 2016 evokes a similar feeling featuring three connected individuals representing the unity and hope Brazilians sought to convey before, during, and after the Games. While all of these logos have unique elements, it feels like they are all different versions of one another.
Our final category of logos is the "outliers." While controversial, this is not necessarily a bad thing, and in fact, the London 2012 logo and branding is one of our favorites for its geometric movement and bright, energetic colors. In fact, it's the only logo that doesn't feature the location or symbol as the primary element, instead using the year "2012" in the distinct font commissioned for the Games. We do feel there are a few flops in this group, namely the Athens 2004 and Sochi 2014 games. The Athens wreath on the blue background feels too heavy and unbalanced over the thin font and Olympic rings. As for the Sochi logo, the "S" and "2" mirroring each other is a nice touch, but overall, it feels lackluster.
To represent "a city where everyone is different and everyone belongs the LA28 emblem illustrates the strength of LA's diversity and defies a singular identity," the Los Angeles Games took a unique approach to the logo's design. Instead of a singular symbol, the "A" is dynamic to showcase designs from various artists and give the design a modern spin.
So, after over 120 years of design evolution, what design inspiration shaped the best logos? We think it comes down to three things:
The Olympics are a great opportunity to showcase the host city in the best light possible by providing the necessary facilities and creating a great experience for both athletes and fans. The logo represents all these efforts, both human and financial, and should encapsulate an iconic part of the city that makes the visual identity of the games memorable.
As one of the most iconic symbols of all time, the Olympic rings are a requirement to tie the logo to the event. While certain logos, such as Los Angeles 1932 and Sapporo 1972, hide or awkwardly place the logo, Innsbruck and Montreal 1976, and Mexico 1968 elegantly integrate the logo into the design. This integration is vital in showing the unity between the host city and the games.
As designers and the public eye shape design trends over time, how we perceive "outdated" or "retro" design changes as various trends emerge. That being said, following the fundamentals of logo design ensures they remain timeless or at least act as a time capsule into trends of the time. A few logos from pre-2010 that wouldn't look out of place today are Tokyo 1964, Salt Lake 2002, and Montreal 1976.
Are we just sentimental about the Miracle on Ice? Maybe yes, but regardless of the great history of the 1980 games, the logo stands out for its beautiful representation of history and the natural surroundings of Lake Placid, New York. The chevrons on the right represent the Adirondack Mountains, and the two serrations at the top of the column resemble Olympic cauldrons and pay homage to the 1932 and 1980 Games. The cauldrons seamlessly flow into the rings, which float nicely above the column.
This logo perfectly executes the connection between the Games and the host city. The blocky usage of the colors similar to the Olympic rings gives a sense of familiarity, while also being distinctly tied to Canadian heritage and diversity. While blocky, the relaxed shape of the rectangles and open, smiling face give a warm welcome to the athletes and fans of the games.
We love this logo for its energy, integration of the rings, and ties to the host city. The racing-stripe-like lines flow into each other and represent a track or field of play, and as we mentioned before, pay homage to the patterns seen in works by the indigenous people of Mexico, the Huichol. The rings are beautifully worked in the "68," which creates an icon that can stand alone on multiple applications. The real beauty of the logo is seen when applied to various elements of the games, from merchandise to stamps.
Credit: Lance Wyman, Mexico 68 Olympic Games
The Olympics offer athletes, host cities, and sponsors the chance to show their best in front of billions every two years. The logos representing the Games, from the rings to the iconography, tie the whole event together and give it a cohesive look that will be remembered alongside the incredible performances and drama from each Olympics. They also allow host cities to add their unique flair to the otherwise simple Olympic logo. As new host cities are announced in the years to come, we can't wait to see how the evolution of these logos continues to race ahead.
All logos in this article are sourced from: theolympicdesign.com/olympic-games/emblems