Blog: Being bold - London 2012

I came back from our brand launch late last night, a little the worse for wear, with a big smile on my face. I was, and remain, extremely proud of a first rate group of colleagues who have worked tirelessly for the past two months to stage a major event for two audiences of 700 key stakeholders and members of the world's media that went off without a hitch, to release a brand that wasn’t leaked despite intense media interest and to deliver a huge amount of physical and digital material to stakeholders, staff, the media, and partners faultlessly. The spirit here is fantastic.

What we hope people will appreciate in time is that we have embarked on one of the biggest branding projects in this decade. We have built a brand identity which has over 40,000 elements, which will evolve over the coming months and years in many smart ways. A brand that unites the Olympic and Paralympic Games and which can work with partners, stakeholders, and for the first time ever, non-commercial stakeholders too. A brand which is flexible enough to render in multiple different formats on multiple platforms.

It's not about the shape. It’s not about the colours. It's about what we can do with it - there is a lot more to see, and you'll see it soon.

In the course of playing with it over the past few weeks our new media team has enjoyed playing with the flexibility that the whole system around the brand offers.

I’ll let some of our output do the talking.

People who came to the launch yesterday had a sneak preview of a simple mobile application. We’re launching some new functionality at the end of next week using a different treatment of the brand. And our full website will be up in July with yet another treatment. We’re very excited.

Most of all this is a brand to live up to which will force us to deliver a games in a way which no other host city has ever done - not a comfortable blazer badge with "endearing" qualities or cute London skylines but a big statement of intent.

We said we’d be bold. We will be. Would you want it any other way?

Seb Coe explains it's everyone's Games:

seb everyones 2012

Ade Adepitan:

LOCOG Chief Exec Paul Deighton and the logo on a mobile phone:

paul deighton mobile

Comments for this post:

6 Jun 2007, wnpaul said:

The statement "It’s not about the shape. It’s not about the colours. It’s about what we can do with it - there is a lot more to see, and you’ll see it soon." is just plain silly.

The shape and the colours is precisely what we see, and judging by the overwehelming tenor of the public reaction, we don't like what we see. More of the same won't change that.

I certainly think your £400.000 could have been better spent.

6 Jun 2007, Mark Kass said:

Call me controvertial, but this new brand is really great...simple, bold, flexible and now instantly recognisable.This is something I know we'll grow to love! Having seen it in 3D on someone's lapel pin, it looks quite impressive "in the flesh" and the discussions its provoking means its started to do its job !

6 Jun 2007, johne said:

I like it. I don't understand what all the negative press is all about. Maybe its just because its different. I think its lively and exciting - certainly not run of the mill, not boring.

6 Jun 2007, Skanah said:

I like the brand when it is in motion and I can see how it can be used on all platforms and medium. However, I still need to be convinced when the emblem is displayed still...

I hope it will do like an excellent music album, which you really start to appreciate after listening to it several times. I am actually glad I didn't like the brand the first time I saw it... that is usually when you can get bored very rapidly.

Good luck!

Stephan

6 Jun 2007, Martin M said:

Well, it has it’s plus points – it contains some relevant elements: it has the word London, it contains the Olympic rings, and it apparently makes up the figures in 2012, albeit in an artistic way.

You can argue about the design, and whether it’s attractive, accessible or modern/retro. I have my views. But as a brand, it’s not the logo that will make or break London 2012.

Good branding is about a vision that is shared by an organisation, its staff, stakeholders and audiences. This needs to be articulated clearly, and all parts of an organisation need to be aligned with that brand vision – not just the marketing and external communications, but the values the organisation actually lives by day-to-day, the internal communications, the HR policies, the products and services that are offered and the customer service delivery.

It’s a comprehensive view of a brand – and the only way a brand will build trust with all of its audiences is by being consistent across a whole range of internal and external factors.

Of course, a great logo can help pull this together. But whatever you think of the logo itself, London 2012 has got one thing absolutely right – the main political and organisational leaders are all working from the same upbeat, supportive script – good branding cannot happen if the top brass don’t get behind it. Staff need to be inspired to deliver together, and audiences need to believe in the brand promise, or they won’t buy the product. So well done to the London 2012 communications team for that.

But as for the logo…Sorry Seb, I don't think it's very good - it doesn't stand for anything without the instruction manual, and visually it has failed to engage people positively. As someone who wholeheartedly backs London 2012, its vision and the opportunity it represents, I hope the logo doesn't get in the way of the brand itself being hugely successful.

Regards

Martin McEwan

Director, mcewanhackett

6 Jun 2007, beachcomber said:

Persnally I'm not instantly grabbed by it. I think that you have tried to make it do too many things. I'm guessing that you wanted to try and get one design that would work across a range of media. TV, Internet, Posteres T-Shirts etc. I can see that the design could lend itself to working well with other elements. On its own though its a little stark, and certainly (for me) does not engender an thoughts or emotions regarding 2012. At the moment it does seem to be a classic example of death by committee.

But I'm sure as your team of creatives get to work on it I will start to see it in context.

6 Jun 2007, MaxSceptic said:

I've signed up to this blog just to tell you that you are wrong: The logo is awful.
The Emperor has no clothes.
Get rid of it now.
Tens of thousands of people all over Britain have expressed their disgust (just see the BBC website), yet very few of them are represented on the London 2012 website. Why?

6 Jun 2007, Shawshank said:

This is truly ghastly "brand". Condescedning to the "yoof" market, and unintelligible for the rest of us.

If you have to explain the design, it clearly hasn't fulfilled its job. It should be able to speak for itself in the image.

I am sure that this post won't be published - as it does not fit in with the "ra ra" contributions this site clearly wants.

Gon on LOCOG - be brave, publish my posting.

6 Jun 2007, watercombehoues said:

Come on! You all have done such a wonderful job so far, please get a logo that sustains your high standards. London with a small case l is so amateurish!

6 Jun 2007, JoAnn said:

I keep looking at my feet to see if any little blocks are clicking away behind me! I love the potential for this logo and branding. I am 47, so not really your target audience, however, I actually got a thrill out of the connections of the shapes. It took me awhile to figure out the 2012 type, but then I saw the video.

Every action by any athlete, amatueur or elite; elderly going for a walk, children kicking a football, has a connection of movement. The pool graphic was overkill and I would have said that before the epilespy problem, but on the whole this is stunning branding. I love the way the roads can be identified with the coloured blocks, the venues created with the shapes generated from athletic participation. There is such a cohesiveness to the able and disabled athlete. Bravo. Congrats on the very free publicity the uproar is getting you.

Following the comments elsewhere in Britain's media, I am wondering what is wrong with me. Myself, I will be looking at athlete's everywhere with a little grin as I imagine the energy of the shapes all arriving in London 2012. Brits, your negativity is shameful.

7 Jun 2007, London 2012 team said:

Update: We have received many comments that reflect the tenor of negative comments found elsewhere on the web and often containing offensive language that, for obvious reasons, we cannot publish. Rather than act as an echo chamber we have published a selection here that say something a little different.

7 Jun 2007, Sp8zm said:

I am fanatically in love with the new brand. Bravo! It makes me feel alive, free, energized, and passionate for the success of the Olympics for my friends across the pond. Count me as one 36-yr-old American that wishes I had wall-size screens so that it played throughout my home in vivid, moving color. Very exciting stuff from. Woo hoo!

6 Jun 2007, platothefish said:

I would agree with some of the comments above. A waste of money and a terrible brand. Brands live and die on their shape, colour and effect they have on the consumer - the brand appears to be 'laughing stock'.
Oh and for the person above our negativity isn't shameful, what is shameful is that we frequently give responsibility to people who make a hash of things and then won't accept responsibility for their actions, worst still they keep trying to put a positive spin on things even in the face of overwhelming evidence that they have made a mistake. I don't mind mistakes which this 'brand' is, it's the shameful attempts cover up and pass the buck.
One thing is for certain it's certainly got the world talking about the 2012 Olympics even if it isn't for a reason that make me proud to be British. Sorry but it's a mess, both the logo and the situation.

7 Jun 2007, JoAnn said:

I applaud your decision to not be an "echo chamber". No doubt there will be extreme reaction, which won't be published here. Thank you.

You don't have to post this either. Conundrum?

7 Jun 2007, Lawlsie said:

# London 2012 team Says:
7th Jun 07, 7:11

"Update: We have received many comments that reflect the tenor of negative comments found elsewhere on the web. Rather than act as an echo chamber we have published a selection here that say something a little different."

Yes, haven't you just! This reminds me of Labour's Big Conversation: we talk, you listen.

So, you're only going to publish comments that are in favour are you? Maybe that's why there are only TEN posts here and, literally, thousands elsewhere.

That's a bit Soviet, isn't it? What you so afraid of? A little criticism? Has it occurred to you that some of this negativity may well be justified?

7 Jun 2007, the joyce of reason said:

So you're only publishing the positive comments?

What happened to being bold? Or is Bold in the sense of the whitewashing washing powder?

7 Jun 2007, Hardy said:

I would just like to see how this "brand" has 40,000 elements.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for boldness, but I believe this has crossed the line to tackiness. A logo representing the Olympics should be aesthetically appealing to the person. And being 16 myself, I'm perplexed to how this reaches out to the young. The logo outrage has inspired creativity from around the world and I probably won't be the first to say this, but I think you should do a worldwide contest. After all, this is "Everyone's Games", right? Live up to your slogan.

Best Regards

7 Jun 2007, chrisrand said:

Criticism of the critics from one leading design newsletter: http://www.engineeringtalk.com/blog/?p=24
"It’s quite facile to get schoolchildren to design a logo and say 'there, why not use this?' although of course newspapers for the hard-of-thinking will do just that. How many members of the public know the less obvious reasons to choose colours? As designers from the automotive sector will be only too aware, creating something which will appeal to the public not today, but in several years time when it eventually becomes commonplace, is a real skill."

13 Jun 2007, marshey said:

Why so much fuss about the logo? Who can remember what Athens/Sydney/Atlanta/Barcelona/Seoul/LA/Moscow had? If it is a banner for all parties to rally behind in the delivery of the 2012 strategy then its as good as any. The logo wil not be the "legacy" for Britain, however a sucessful games will be. Lets ensure that the world remembers 2012 as one of the great events of the early 21st Century. The importance is that a new generation of sporting achievers in all walks of life and of all abilities is created. If the games get kids off the sofa and into exercise then mission completed. I for one would remember that long before I remembered a logo.

13 Jun 2007, Zifa said:

Hello, my first reaction to London 2012 logo was as of many: may be we needed a more stylish approach? However after seeing it on Yahoo! I went straight to this web-site and watched the video on the brand presentation page - it's awesome! I now completely understand the logo, and it made me really inspirational and anticipating the Games (even though there are several years to go...). I suppose you have already planned it out yourselves, but just to mention it: you need to teach people about your brand. I think paper-media coverage merely picturing the new logo cannot help: you need to get it on TV with all this fascinating footage.

As for those "disillusioned" I can only try to explain why the 2012 logo is good (and do not expect that everybody will agree with this). Unfortunately or fortunately (and I am inclined to believe in both simultaneously) London is a cosmopolitan city - it is no longer completely British in it's original sense: something new is emerging, a very different mix of cultures, a hybrid city, being at the same time a destination for worshipping the older British roots of it. The difficulty in accepting such logo as of London 2012 Games is in its completely and outrageously new character: it doesn't have much hint on London's Victorian homes, and it is not polished and flashing with laser lights either. It points out to people, to the total sum of all parts - new and old, - and the challenges of new world we live in. Somebody may argue that by stressing these new sides of life the older ones and truly British are being ignored (and I am saying this because I looked through the logo related designs that people submit to the brand web-site - many of them have images of Union Jack, which somehow shows what many people would prefer to see). And to a certain extent I agree: I think there should be another video clip produced that shows how well the new logo fits in with the lines of Union Jack incorporating the elements from the video that is currently on the web-site – and for the above-mentioned reasons I believe that the logo does fit in with Union Jack lines as well! That would symbolically unite both worlds - I think this is what everybody needs in contemporary UK: inclusion of opinions and cultures with no extremes - neither being too much PC about everything what concerns cultures different from English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish (which sometimes becomes ridiculous), nor being too much nationalistic. There should be a balance in everything, and I hope the London 2012 Games will have their contribution to achieving such balance.

With best wishes to ODA and good luck for the next 5 years!

Zifa

November 2008
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30

November 2008

6 Jun 2007, wnpaul said:
The statement "It’s not about the shape. It’s not about the colours. It’s about what we can do with it - there is a lot more to see, and you’ll see it soon." is just plain silly.

The shape and the colours is precisely what we see, and judging by the overwehelming tenor of the public reaction, we don't like what we see. More of the same won't change that.

I certainly think your £400.000 could have been better spent.
6 Jun 2007, Mark Kass said:
Call me controvertial, but this new brand is really great...simple, bold, flexible and now instantly recognisable.This is something I know we'll grow to love! Having seen it in 3D on someone's lapel pin, it looks quite impressive "in the flesh" and the discussions its provoking means its started to do its job !
6 Jun 2007, johne said:
I like it. I don't understand what all the negative press is all about. Maybe its just because its different. I think its lively and exciting - certainly not run of the mill, not boring.
6 Jun 2007, Skanah said:
I like the brand when it is in motion and I can see how it can be used on all platforms and medium. However, I still need to be convinced when the emblem is displayed still...

I hope it will do like an excellent music album, which you really start to appreciate after listening to it several times. I am actually glad I didn't like the brand the first time I saw it... that is usually when you can get bored very rapidly.

Good luck!

Stephan
6 Jun 2007, Martin M said:
Well, it has it’s plus points – it contains some relevant elements: it has the word London, it contains the Olympic rings, and it apparently makes up the figures in 2012, albeit in an artistic way.

You can argue about the design, and whether it’s attractive, accessible or modern/retro. I have my views. But as a brand, it’s not the logo that will make or break London 2012.

Good branding is about a vision that is shared by an organisation, its staff, stakeholders and audiences. This needs to be articulated clearly, and all parts of an organisation need to be aligned with that brand vision – not just the marketing and external communications, but the values the organisation actually lives by day-to-day, the internal communications, the HR policies, the products and services that are offered and the customer service delivery.

It’s a comprehensive view of a brand – and the only way a brand will build trust with all of its audiences is by being consistent across a whole range of internal and external factors.

Of course, a great logo can help pull this together. But whatever you think of the logo itself, London 2012 has got one thing absolutely right – the main political and organisational leaders are all working from the same upbeat, supportive script – good branding cannot happen if the top brass don’t get behind it. Staff need to be inspired to deliver together, and audiences need to believe in the brand promise, or they won’t buy the product. So well done to the London 2012 communications team for that.

But as for the logo…Sorry Seb, I don't think it's very good - it doesn't stand for anything without the instruction manual, and visually it has failed to engage people positively. As someone who wholeheartedly backs London 2012, its vision and the opportunity it represents, I hope the logo doesn't get in the way of the brand itself being hugely successful.

Regards

Martin McEwan

Director, mcewanhackett
6 Jun 2007, beachcomber said:
Persnally I'm not instantly grabbed by it. I think that you have tried to make it do too many things. I'm guessing that you wanted to try and get one design that would work across a range of media. TV, Internet, Posteres T-Shirts etc. I can see that the design could lend itself to working well with other elements. On its own though its a little stark, and certainly (for me) does not engender an thoughts or emotions regarding 2012. At the moment it does seem to be a classic example of death by committee.

But I'm sure as your team of creatives get to work on it I will start to see it in context.
6 Jun 2007, MaxSceptic said:
I've signed up to this blog just to tell you that you are wrong: The logo is awful.
The Emperor has no clothes.
Get rid of it now.
Tens of thousands of people all over Britain have expressed their disgust (just see the BBC website), yet very few of them are represented on the London 2012 website. Why?
6 Jun 2007, Shawshank said:
This is truly ghastly "brand". Condescedning to the "yoof" market, and unintelligible for the rest of us.

If you have to explain the design, it clearly hasn't fulfilled its job. It should be able to speak for itself in the image.

I am sure that this post won't be published - as it does not fit in with the "ra ra" contributions this site clearly wants.

Gon on LOCOG - be brave, publish my posting.
6 Jun 2007, watercombehoues said:
Come on! You all have done such a wonderful job so far, please get a logo that sustains your high standards. London with a small case l is so amateurish!
6 Jun 2007, JoAnn said:
I keep looking at my feet to see if any little blocks are clicking away behind me! I love the potential for this logo and branding. I am 47, so not really your target audience, however, I actually got a thrill out of the connections of the shapes. It took me awhile to figure out the 2012 type, but then I saw the video.

Every action by any athlete, amatueur or elite; elderly going for a walk, children kicking a football, has a connection of movement. The pool graphic was overkill and I would have said that before the epilespy problem, but on the whole this is stunning branding. I love the way the roads can be identified with the coloured blocks, the venues created with the shapes generated from athletic participation. There is such a cohesiveness to the able and disabled athlete. Bravo. Congrats on the very free publicity the uproar is getting you.

Following the comments elsewhere in Britain's media, I am wondering what is wrong with me. Myself, I will be looking at athlete's everywhere with a little grin as I imagine the energy of the shapes all arriving in London 2012. Brits, your negativity is shameful.
7 Jun 2007, London 2012 team said:
Update: We have received many comments that reflect the tenor of negative comments found elsewhere on the web and often containing offensive language that, for obvious reasons, we cannot publish. Rather than act as an echo chamber we have published a selection here that say something a little different.
7 Jun 2007, Sp8zm said:
I am fanatically in love with the new brand. Bravo! It makes me feel alive, free, energized, and passionate for the success of the Olympics for my friends across the pond. Count me as one 36-yr-old American that wishes I had wall-size screens so that it played throughout my home in vivid, moving color. Very exciting stuff from. Woo hoo!
6 Jun 2007, platothefish said:
I would agree with some of the comments above. A waste of money and a terrible brand. Brands live and die on their shape, colour and effect they have on the consumer - the brand appears to be 'laughing stock'.
Oh and for the person above our negativity isn't shameful, what is shameful is that we frequently give responsibility to people who make a hash of things and then won't accept responsibility for their actions, worst still they keep trying to put a positive spin on things even in the face of overwhelming evidence that they have made a mistake. I don't mind mistakes which this 'brand' is, it's the shameful attempts cover up and pass the buck.
One thing is for certain it's certainly got the world talking about the 2012 Olympics even if it isn't for a reason that make me proud to be British. Sorry but it's a mess, both the logo and the situation.
7 Jun 2007, JoAnn said:
I applaud your decision to not be an "echo chamber". No doubt there will be extreme reaction, which won't be published here. Thank you.

You don't have to post this either. Conundrum?
7 Jun 2007, Lawlsie said:
# London 2012 team Says:
7th Jun 07, 7:11

"Update: We have received many comments that reflect the tenor of negative comments found elsewhere on the web. Rather than act as an echo chamber we have published a selection here that say something a little different."

Yes, haven't you just! This reminds me of Labour's Big Conversation: we talk, you listen.

So, you're only going to publish comments that are in favour are you? Maybe that's why there are only TEN posts here and, literally, thousands elsewhere.

That's a bit Soviet, isn't it? What you so afraid of? A little criticism? Has it occurred to you that some of this negativity may well be justified?
7 Jun 2007, the joyce of reason said:
So you're only publishing the positive comments?

What happened to being bold? Or is Bold in the sense of the whitewashing washing powder?
7 Jun 2007, Hardy said:
I would just like to see how this "brand" has 40,000 elements.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for boldness, but I believe this has crossed the line to tackiness. A logo representing the Olympics should be aesthetically appealing to the person. And being 16 myself, I'm perplexed to how this reaches out to the young. The logo outrage has inspired creativity from around the world and I probably won't be the first to say this, but I think you should do a worldwide contest. After all, this is "Everyone's Games", right? Live up to your slogan.

Best Regards
7 Jun 2007, chrisrand said:
Criticism of the critics from one leading design newsletter: http://www.engineeringtalk.com/blog/?p=24
"It’s quite facile to get schoolchildren to design a logo and say 'there, why not use this?' although of course newspapers for the hard-of-thinking will do just that. How many members of the public know the less obvious reasons to choose colours? As designers from the automotive sector will be only too aware, creating something which will appeal to the public not today, but in several years time when it eventually becomes commonplace, is a real skill."
13 Jun 2007, marshey said:
Why so much fuss about the logo? Who can remember what Athens/Sydney/Atlanta/Barcelona/Seoul/LA/Moscow had? If it is a banner for all parties to rally behind in the delivery of the 2012 strategy then its as good as any. The logo wil not be the "legacy" for Britain, however a sucessful games will be. Lets ensure that the world remembers 2012 as one of the great events of the early 21st Century. The importance is that a new generation of sporting achievers in all walks of life and of all abilities is created. If the games get kids off the sofa and into exercise then mission completed. I for one would remember that long before I remembered a logo.
13 Jun 2007, Zifa said:
Hello, my first reaction to London 2012 logo was as of many: may be we needed a more stylish approach? However after seeing it on Yahoo! I went straight to this web-site and watched the video on the brand presentation page - it's awesome! I now completely understand the logo, and it made me really inspirational and anticipating the Games (even though there are several years to go...). I suppose you have already planned it out yourselves, but just to mention it: you need to teach people about your brand. I think paper-media coverage merely picturing the new logo cannot help: you need to get it on TV with all this fascinating footage.

As for those "disillusioned" I can only try to explain why the 2012 logo is good (and do not expect that everybody will agree with this). Unfortunately or fortunately (and I am inclined to believe in both simultaneously) London is a cosmopolitan city - it is no longer completely British in it's original sense: something new is emerging, a very different mix of cultures, a hybrid city, being at the same time a destination for worshipping the older British roots of it. The difficulty in accepting such logo as of London 2012 Games is in its completely and outrageously new character: it doesn't have much hint on London's Victorian homes, and it is not polished and flashing with laser lights either. It points out to people, to the total sum of all parts - new and old, - and the challenges of new world we live in. Somebody may argue that by stressing these new sides of life the older ones and truly British are being ignored (and I am saying this because I looked through the logo related designs that people submit to the brand web-site - many of them have images of Union Jack, which somehow shows what many people would prefer to see). And to a certain extent I agree: I think there should be another video clip produced that shows how well the new logo fits in with the lines of Union Jack incorporating the elements from the video that is currently on the web-site – and for the above-mentioned reasons I believe that the logo does fit in with Union Jack lines as well! That would symbolically unite both worlds - I think this is what everybody needs in contemporary UK: inclusion of opinions and cultures with no extremes - neither being too much PC about everything what concerns cultures different from English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish (which sometimes becomes ridiculous), nor being too much nationalistic. There should be a balance in everything, and I hope the London 2012 Games will have their contribution to achieving such balance.

With best wishes to ODA and good luck for the next 5 years!

Zifa

London 2012 blog

Being bold

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