Extinguished
Fresh off the Olympics, it's a good time to look ahead, not to 2012, but to 2016. Four candidate cities are currently in the running to take on the responsibility of hosting the sporting world for two weeks, eight summers from now. Each of them released their Olympic logos last year, but not all cleared the International Olympic Committee's strict standards of representation. Chicago's original logo for their candidacy was absolutely beautiful. That's it on the left. A stylized skyline, with the Hancock Tower at the centre, burns brightly over its own image, reflected in Lake Michigan. The problem the IOC is strict in its visual representation of the Olympic torch; only officially licensed users are allowed to use the torch, and as a mere candidate city, Chicago doesn't yet qualify. And so, they had to redesign the logo and released the image of the 6-pointed star in its stead. There's something very World Exhibition about the font and star choice. It's a little nostalgic, a little Brave New World and all the time, very human. I do hope that eventually, we get to see more of the original torch though.
While you're at it, check out the logos of the other candidate cities. Whichever one is chosen, there will be some intriguing design avenues explored.
http://www.chicago2016.org
http://www.tokyo2016.or.jp
http://www.rio2016.org.br
http://www.madrid2016.es
