Inspiration

08.14.08
posted by Paul Schrynemakers

Olympic Typography Skills (in 1968)

Olympic Typography Skills (in 1968)

I don't know about you, but I've caught this Olympic fever; the more I watch, the more I find myself picking out the ubiquitous "Beijing 2008" Olympic logo on everything (I mean everything). I can't help but think to myself, "only in the digital age." Right?

Then this morning I came across this "Mexico 68" logo.

Not only did I marvel at the typography, but the skill and equisite process it must have taken to produce and reproduce in 1968.

Get your fill of Olympic logos here ...Pre 1960s  |  Post 1960s


(Mexico still gets the gold in my opinion)

1968S_poster_b.jpg

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  • G.Glas

    I thought the Beijing logo was pretty cool... once I found out the story behind it.

    The man who created it was sent to prison by the government for 10 years during the cultural revolution for his artistic expressions. Once released he started work in a tiny shack creating symbols and cartoon characters.

    Fast-forward to present day and he creates the symbol for the 2008 games. The running figure is actually the modified chinese character meaning capital.

  • Mike Ley

    My favorite Olympic ID has to be Otl Aicher's from1972 in Munich. For me, the posters and pictograms have remained untouched. For a refresher, start here.

    Mexico '68 is definitely still in a photo-finish 2nd, however, if not for the op-art, for its parlay into fashion - here and here.

  • Scott Dadich

    The more I look at the London 2012 logo, the more I like it. Call me crazy.

  • Emily Smith

    My favorite Olympics ever! I love that the Flickr group for post-1960s doesn't include that 2012 London logo that was giving everyone seizures... ( http://tinyurl.com/25py4d )

    Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Paul.

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