London 2012 blog

So a little about me. I'm Lex, a graphic designer, with 10 years of art and design experience under my belt. I run my own design practice, run from a converted Hackney garage - surrounded by the heart of London's low-fi art and design world. My network covers an international set of designers, architects, photographers and artists - a world of creative individuals, organisations and companies cleverly shaping the way we live our lives and the things we live them with.

Running on the philosophy that routine dulls the soul, I've just returned from 9 months on-and-off in Brazil. An opportunity to explore another country and culture which lead to a 6 week design project with the British Council in Rio de Janeiro - an opportunity not to be missed.

So with fresh eyes I returned to London to start a research job with the culture team. "Great!" I thought "...but what exactly does that mean?" The answer was revealed on the 22nd Floor of a Canary Wharf building, where the LOCOG Culture team sit with a view over London and an inspiring challenge ahead - masterminding the Cultural Olympiad. From film and video making projects, to carnivals and celebrations to contemporizing Shakespeare, the Cultural Olympiad is a real opportunity to make a lasting change to the UK.

My brief was to gather or photograph relevant images and create visual direction boards for the major projects of the Cultural Olympiad - to inspire discussion and direction. As it transpired my challenge was to communicate the inspiring collective vision through story-telling and images, working in line with the London 2012 brand. An identity, I might add, I've found myself defending more and more within the design community to those who've enquired whether my job was.... 'to re-design the logo' - I think not. The fact that my 14 year old brother quizzed me about the logo says it all - it's making young people think already.

So a key question for the culture team is how do we include projects that inspire and change the way people think?....and when we really look at it who exactly are these projects for? To get to know the people we're talking about I hit the streets, camera in hand, with an aim to photograph our audience - the cross section of the British public, from 5 to 85, because after all the Games is for everyone, and everyone wants to go to the Games ...don't they? And the answer is Yes.  Every person I stopped and photographed was excited, intrigued and keen to be involved. And who wouldn't be, from the design of the stadium to the content of the cultural projects, London 2012 will be an event to remember and it's exciting to be a part of it.