Branding an International Event
I’m down to my last few hours in London, and wanted to unload some additional information that was very enlightening for myself - and I hope for the students of Chapman University.
When I initially watched the closing ceremony of the Beijing Games, and London’s presentation of their Olympic logo was revealed to the people of the world, I held my judgement - yet was a little underwhelmed when I saw the double decker bus performance.
Now that I’ve spent three weeks riding the crowded buses and Underground trains, walking thru the markets and seeing the diversity in the city’s people, food and architecture - that London performance makes perfect sense. In fact, in watching it again, I liked it even better.
I had a conversation with Allard Marx, principal brand strategist for INCIDE. We both agreed that in developing brand marks for clients - some solutions feel immediately comfortable, while others sometimes take a bit of ’sleeping on it’ to sink in and grow on you. The latter of these situations is quite often the outcome of a creative solution that is pushing boundaries. Taking people to places that might even be uncomfortable, particularly when it’s their own company’s brand mark. They tell us to take them to the “next level,” yet when it comes down to it they are quite often afraid to push those boundaries and truly take a stand to stand out.
When Wolff Olins was charged with creating a brand mark that would “shift” how we had previously been presenting the Olympic Games, they were already challenged by the issues that face a brand agency that’s to present a mark to the world. What cultures would see this logo? What languages? What religions?
No pressure, right?
Once the brand mark had been concepted, and potentially approved by the client - Wolff Olins had to present this logo to selected groups of people from various religious backgrounds, languages, age groups, etc., so that they could show them this brand mark from the front view, backwards and upside down. They would ask these groups if these shapes, or rings, or colors offended them in any way, or if they saw images in these shapes that were against their religious beliefs.
In the brand world we’re always asking clients about audience. But in THIS brand world, this one of international exposure, the Olympic logo being the most recognized brand mark, as well as the most protected brand mark in all the world. This puts a very different set of questions and rules on an agency to uncover as they develop their design solutions.
As I walked through this diverse city, and observed the people, clothing styles, languages, and those things that give London its unique flavor as a city - I grew to really embrace what this new brand mark embodies. It’s jagged edges, its wild color scheme and the ability to contain “infills” that truly represent London, sport and the Olympic Games.
I spent my last day, yesterday walking through my favorite neighborhoods. Eating at my favorite cafe and having that last pint of English ale. As I looked back on that first night in town, trying to get on to the new time zone, sirens and the noise of the city keeping me awake - and now, having made new friends and zipping around town like a local, I realized how quickly London became an easy place to fit in to. The intensity of an urban city that has its pockets of gardens to escape noises and people. Even the short train rides to the country for a real breath of fresh air. Yet this city is in an intense undertaking to build a grand park for the world to come and see - and judge - and I hope, embrace what London and it’s design community have put together.
Cheers.
