The design of Vancouver 2010
I adore these colours. What about you?
In only a few short days, the 21st Winter Olympics will come to an end. Whenever the Games are happening, I certainly feel the national pride and try to watch as much of the competition as possible. But this year has been especially exciting considering that the Games are being held on Canadian soil.
Quite obviously, an unbelievable amount of planning goes into organizing the Olympic Games. Vancouver was announced as the winner of the 2010 bid back on July 2, 2003 and from that point up until Feb. 12 of this year, the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) worked around the clock to get everything prepared.
The colours at the beginning of this post represent an incredibly important aspect of these Olympic Games. It’s something that was developed years ago when people were focused on Turin, and it’s something that is going to make people think about the Vancouver 2010 Games long after they’ve finished.
Graphic identity.
Sure, its importance can’t possibly outweigh that of the sports or the medals. But turn on your television and try to watch one minute of Olympic coverage without seeing it. The colours and graphics of Vancouver 2010 are everywhere and as a huge fan of the entire look, I couldn’t be happier.
How did the identity of Vancouver 2010 come to be? This is what the Games’ official site has to say:
Canada’s many cultures merge to offer fresh ideas and possibilities. The country’s multiculturalism inspires Vancouver 2010 to portray transformation and fusion as a major theme within the graphic identity. It also represents balance and connections between natural and urban environments, reflecting how Canadians live in and contribute to both surroundings.
Inspired by the dynamic energy of Vancouver, Whistler and Canada, Vancouver 2010 imagery creates a space where nature and culture transform and grow — like the power, speed and spirit of the athletes. Design representations of water and vegetation are incorporated frequently and serve as a symbol of nature’s nourishing and rejuvenating powers. Emotive, dynamic athlete imagery captures the heroism and beauty of sport.
Elbowruminations, a site focused on graphic design best (and worst) practices, created this graphic to illustrate the connection between the colours of Vancouver 2010 and their natural inspirations:
Neat, huh?
I especially love the juxtaposition of natural and urban environments in the wonderfully complex graphic patterns that can be seen on almost every single Olympic surface, such as on the signage behind Canadian freestyle skier Kyle Nissen in this shot:
Here’s another example. Click to see the details!
Notice the trees, the wind turbines-turned-dandelions, the ship and oars, the bricks, the ski lift, the geometric measurements and much, much more.
Creating patterns this large and detailed would have been a trying and very time-consuming task. But as I’ve mentioned before, I think details say a lot and I commend the work that went into designing this look.
And from the designers themselves, a bit on how the entire image came to be:
The graphic identity of the Games has received its fair share of criticisms and as with anything, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
But the whole point of creating a graphic identity is to do just that- establish a visually recognizable brand. And I don’t think anyone could say that Vancouver 2010 hasn’t done this.
[P.S. Check out London 2012’s logo. I’d like to see more before I really decide, but so far all it makes me think about are the 1980s.]
You know, I’m surprised you didn’t discuss the reasons behind each of the colours in the the Inukshuk…I’ll paste the relevant text:
With the deepest appreciation for Canada’s aboriginal heritage and for the joy Canadians share in celebrating winter’s snow and ice, the emblem of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games is a contemporary interpretation of the inukshuk. It is called “Ilanaaq”, which is the Inuktitut word for friend. Ilanaaq reflects the friendly spirit and soul of Canada and our dreams for the XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
Its vibrant colours reflect the rich Canadian landscapes,
and particularly those of the Games’ host region. British Columbia’s spectacular islands, ocean, forests and mountains are represented by green and blues. The red represents Canada’s signature maple leaf, and the gold evokes images of the brilliant sunrises that paint
the city skyline and snowcapped mountain peaks from Vancouver to Whistler.
…I rather like that. No?
And I agree, London 2010′s design, is very…strange! Apparently it’s supposed to appeal to younger people. =/
Hehe. The great thing about these games is that there was a LOT to talk about in regards to its graphic identity/design, especially when you come to know some of the information I provided, like how the graphic identity was hugely based on both natural and urban settings.
I intentionally chose not to cover every single piece of Vancouver 2010′s identity, hoping instead that my post would get people to look at the games in a design perspective and come to some conclusions on their own. I’m glad you did exactly that, Brennan!
Great post, Jess. I don’t have much of an eye for design personally, so reading this post really stressed the importance of detail with design work. Amazing to see how much detail is in the example you posted below Kyle Nissen!
I love the Vancouver 2010 colours, even moreso now that you’ve illustrated all the thought that went into choosing the colours based on natural inspirations.