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© Sochi 2014
The new brand and emblem for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics has been unveiled ahead of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games this coming February.
That the wordmark is also the Games’ URL and that Sochi and 2014 are supposed to be mirror images are touted as two of the main characteristics of the emblem. IOC President Jacques Rogge is quoted as saying this emblem will become one of the most visible and recognised marks for people of all ages from around the world
The emblem may indeed become recognized around the world, but that doesn’t make it good. To begin the web address is soichi2014.ru but that’s not how the emblem reads. So much for that idea.
But, so what if the emblem is the URL? This would have seemed truly innovative for the Liilehammer 1994 Winter Games, or the Atlanta 19996 Summer Olympics. In 2009, let alone 2014, URLs are no longer innovative. Besides, the 2014 Games will really be about the exploits of athletes on the ski slopes, ice and trails, not on any online experience. The web and other media are all important communications vehicles, but the Olypmics are not interactive games. An Olympic apps for smart phones would be relatively innovative, but then who would suggest that the emblem be an app icon?
The characters 2014 is supposed to be a reflection of Sochi. Nice idea if it only worked. It doesn’t though because the characters are not in the same order. It certainly is not a strong enough idea to make it the main point of the emblem.
© VANOC, ©LOCOG
Mostly, this emblem is not bad, but it’s just boring. It is not as bad as the London 2012 emblem, nor as amateurish as the Vancouver emblem. But it does seem to continue a recent trend of Olympic brands that are distinctly uninspiring.
The Olympics are probably the world’s largest promotional/sponsorship event. A cynic would say that the Games are just one big commercial enterprise; that they are more about making money than athletes competing and excelling. That would all mitigate towards better emblems and stronger brands.
I think the worst comment a designer could receive is to say that their work is boring ^_^ Although I agree with most of the comments here, I’m going to give this mark some latitude because it was designed in Moscow. It doesn’t change what it is but having worked in Asia myself, I suspect that design sensibility in this region is also catching up to the west. But I use the term “catching up” loosely because ultimately they will find their own voice or footing… but currently many developing regions still look to the west as a bench mark. This mark does not impress me as an international event but considering where it comes from, I think it’s okay… and like you said, ultimately it will be the athletes and the experience itself that will make the games memorable.