What we really thought to the Paris 2024 Olympics branding
Was it a winner? Or was it a sinner? We delve into the Paris 2024 Olympics branding to critique the rationale behind the creative. Did that pastel colour palette actually work? Did the divisive logo hold up? Let’s find out…
If you want to feel inspired, go to the Olympics! 2024 was our first time at an Olympic games (and now, having experienced it, probably not our last!). The speed, endurance, strength and talent of the individuals and teams competing was truly inspirational. And from a branding point of view too, the games provided a playground of visual delights for anyone fanatical, like us, about design and brand communications.
Branding the Olympics is not an easy brief for any creative agency; you need to excite audiences, look after the reputation of the long-term olympic brand, convey the personality of the host country whilst also clearly communicating this is a world-class, elite sporting event. Here's a few of our thoughts on what worked and what didn’t…
The brand mixed old and new. The identity system created consisted of ‘cobblestone’ square graphics, mirroring the beautiful pavements you see almost everywhere in Paris. Inside each precious cobblestone contained a glimpse of something parisian, sports-related or architectural. In one you could be looking at the base of the Eiffel Tower, another the corner of the running track, or a beating heart representing ‘the city of love.’ They can be assembled into any arrangement you like, meaning they can be applied to almost anything (something all great brands should do!).
It was a brave choice to veer away from the highly saturated colour palettes usually associated with big sporting events, but we really loved the more muted colour palette. The pale pink, turquoise, subdued blues, soft lilacs and oranges worked really well together. “We are Paris, we are French, and we are the country of fashion and culture, so we don’t want it to be a rainbow of colours,” said Julie Matikhine, the Brand Director for the games.
The typeface was developed from scratch and clearly took inspiration from the art deco and art nouveau movements. It’s a beautifully crafted sans serif and the influence of both these eras have been woven in to the letterforms in an incredibly tasteful and elegant way. Would we expect anything less from the French though, when it comes to style?
The actual logo has received mixed reviews. The shape is a combination of three main aspects; the circular shape of a gold medal, the Olympic flame and the face of Marianne, an allegorical national symbol of the French Republic. It’s very simple, which all logos should be, but it doesn’t necessarily have the dynamism you’d expect from a brand that’s been created for such an iconic event. However, seeing it in action, we didn’t feel it took much away from the overall effect of the rest of the branding suite. We loved seeing the graphics and fresh colour palette being splashed about Paris and it certainly played its role in creating an exciting environment to be part of.
We love working in the sports sector, so if your next project needs that certain 'je ne sais quoi' then we’d love to hear from you. We’ve already created work for British Cycling and Sport England, and we’d love to do more. Just get in touch.