A New Look For One Of The World's Most Visible Brands

Say what you want about the Paris 2024 visual identity (a fav of mine) or its Phrygian mascot (not so much a fav) but the real star has been in front of us all along. See: the near-completion of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) rollout of a rock-solid visual identity.

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I can imagine one of the toughest challenges here was to create something globally iconic that wouldn’t steal attention away from the visuals for the latest Games. Not only that, but this brand has to exist as the face of the Olympics between games, capable of owning its own space. TL:DR I think they nailed it.

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Simple Yet Effective Typography, The Best Kind

One of my favorite aspects is the new typographic system. This isn't your typical one-size-fits-all custom superfamily. The IOC introduced three custom fonts, each with its own distinct personality.The new universal pictograms are another highlight, designed to be language-neutral and gender-neutral. They initially seemed a bit flat to me. However, seeing other artists play with them proves that any new brand system’s basic elements should create room for experimentation, not limit creativity with hard and fast rules.

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With the system mostly rolled out, you can see how it sets the (world) stage for the IOC to define themselves even as each Olympiad creates its own place in design history.