New Sochi Logo Leaked?

[barrack]

Two or three years after the Sochi Games, the website sochi2014.ru will certainly not exist anymore. All previous Olympic websites have been deleted after that timespan. Torino's website, for example, has already bitten the dust: http://www.torino2006.org/

So Sochi's logo will practically lose its most obvious purpose after a couple of years, namely advertising the Games' website.

And that means: When the Olympic medallists will show their medals with this logo to their children and grandchildren a couple of years later, they'll have to say: "Sorry kids -- I'd like to show you the hipness of those Games back then, but the website this logo is advertising doesn't exist anymore." Great stuff.

Maybe one might discuss whether this logo really is the worst in Olympic history. But it is definitely the most short-sighted in Olympic history -- unless the Sochi organisers change the current "Olympic website" policy and keep the website alive forever.

You may be right that sochi2014.ru will be expired after the games, but sochi.ru doesn't have to be. Right now all it does is forward you to sochi2014.ru. After the games, the sochi.ru domain could serve at the city and region's tourism site or whatever.

Your example of 24 y/o greatgrandparents will go to the website on the medal and it'll still show them was Sochi has to offer, just not the games website itself.

[Kenadian]

I agree nothing is completely timeless, however Sochi looks already-dated.

Of course there are things that are timeless. They may come from a specific era, but there are countless human creations that continue to captivate and inspire. Yes, an event logo is really only intended to note that event and its time, but to say that "nothing is completely timeless" is wrong.

[Kenadian]

2014 looks like letters that spells out ZOIY (is this a Russian word?)

Careful now...you're going to get the conspiracy theorists rearranging the numbers to spell ZION.

[IceNarcissus]

Of course there are things that are timeless. They may come from a specific era, but there are countless human creations that continue to captivate and inspire. Yes, an event logo is really only intended to note that event and its time, but to say that "nothing is completely timeless" is wrong.

But but but, of course nothing is completely timeless! I mean... it may take a long time for something to become "old-fashioned", maybe even centuries, but everything eventually runs its course and looks dated.

[mr.x]

Hey I must admit that the fact Canadian didnt felt connected with the logo was due with the way, i think the logo was launch...... I said it before and I will probably say it again..... I think to really understand the value of the Vancouver 2010 logo is by going to Banff, Alberta. First of all, because almost every hike in the canadian rockies have an inukshuk to make sure you are on the right path and this as started a long time ago particularly on mountain over 2800meters above see level. When I hike Cascade mountain to the summit in alberta..... the inukshuk was the symbol saying I'm on the right path... and I am not talking about ages ago when frobicher came to the artic... I am talking about NOW! When I visit Moraine Lake a huge inukshuk made by tourist made the scenic view look even more georgious. I will try to upload a picture in here soon.

Second of all because every tourist is visually attracted by an inukshuk.... We sold more in a tourist shop more inukshuk than sweather! We often cannot keep up with the demands.... particularly with asians who buy times by the dozens. LOL I dont think a logo for the olympic as been as popular in that way on a marketing way... no body will by exemple buy a snowflake if they go to usa... but they will buy an inukshuk for a long time to come if coming to canada... (this place used to be taken for totems... now declining on the market)

Building an inukshuk need times and perseverence like an olympian.

In this way I think the Vancouver 2010 was really the best logo..... a clever idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nagano was only a flower to me, sydney a man running with a boomerang, salt lake a snow flake, i luv torino (my favorite visually) but it`s only a building, beijing a man running..... but vancouver went deeper, real deeper..... like it or not like the logo, at leat it mean something. I luv visually the Sochi logo... I think it will be georgeous particulary on clothes.... But it`s a nice logo with no meaning, with no emotion, with no story telling. Vancouver 2010 logo have a story -like it-dislike it. Sochi logo is only an attractive logo (particularly with textures inside...that it). Dont let me started with London.... I dont understand that logo... when I first saw it I taught it was a joke.... until I realise it was a real logo. LOL

Well, the Vancouver logo was inspired from the city's inukshuk in Downtown Vancouver at English Bay. It was a gift from the territories when we hosted the 1986 World's Fair....so, from one world event to another.

As well, tons of people attempt to create their own inukshuk on our beaches.

English Bay Inukshuk in downtown

People's work:

And a inukshuk was recently raised near the peak of Whistler:

[Kenadian]

But but but, of course nothing is completely timeless! I mean... it may take a long time for something to become "old-fashioned", maybe even centuries, but everything eventually runs its course and looks dated.

Pyramids. Eiffel Tower. Stonehenge. Acropolis. Mona Lisa. Sistine Chapel. David. Temple of Heaven. Taj Mahal. The film 'Casablanca'. Shakespeare. The Barcelona chair. Call them dated if you wish, but they will forever capture our imagination and stay in our culture.

[stir.ts]

And a inukshuk was recently raised near the peak of Whistler:

I think that things been there for a while, I took my picture with it a couple years ago.

[NY20??]

The Olympic rings will always capture our imagination as long as they are relevant.

But any single logo for any single edition of the Games have and will always fall short of this. Athletes will be moved by the 5 rings on their medal, not the running man or the olive wreath or the Inukshuk or... the pudgy website domain.

[canucks4ever]

Well, the Vancouver logo was inspired from the city's inukshuk in Downtown Vancouver at English Bay. It was a gift from the territories when we hosted the 1986 World's Fair....so, from one world event to another.

As well, tons of people attempt to create their own inukshuk on our beaches.

English Bay Inukshuk in downtown

People's work:

And a inukshuk was recently raised near the peak of Whistler:

I know that mr x.... what I was trying to say is the fact that the logo have the power to connected us all as canadian.... it`s not just a native meaning or from the old time.... it`s something alive and even more now with the olympic..... many peoples are building now inukshuk from coast to coast and part of it ìt`s because of the olympics.... because of vancouver 2010..... and I was trying to say if you dont come to me come too banff because it`s a place a know well, a place where I was surround by inukshuk and tourist asking what it is, why it`s the official logo of vancouver 2010. and I was astonish with his popularity but your damn right illanaaq is inspired from the famous inukshuk on the english bay 100% BC.... and I was not trying saying otherwise.

[IceNarcissus]

Pyramids. Eiffel Tower. Stonehenge. Acropolis. Mona Lisa. Sistine Chapel. David. Temple of Heaven. Taj Mahal. The film 'Casablanca'. Shakespeare. The Barcelona chair. Call them dated if you wish, but they will forever capture our imagination and stay in our culture.

Ahhhhhhh. I think we're using different definitions of timeless here. To me, timelessness is temporary and none of those things are timeless because they are all dated and obviously part of some past era.

[Kenadian]

Different definitions? There is only one basic meaning to the word timeless and it does not mean temporary. It is something that is enduring, lasting, with out time. Perhaps you are thinking of the word timeliness - that is about happening at a suitable or particular time.

[Rob2012]

Yep, the definition is spot on. The debate, because of the very definition of the word, isn't. Who knows what'll stick around and stay fresh in decades, centuries to come? We've seen this logo for a week only.

[IceNarcissus]

Different definitions? There is only one basic meaning to the word timeless and it does not mean temporary. It is something that is enduring, lasting, with out time. Perhaps you are thinking of the word timeliness - that is about happening at a suitable or particular time.

What? You're taking this to heart too seriously. Our opinions of what is timeless are always temporary. Everything runs its course. The pyramids will crumble to dust someday, too.

[Kenadian]

Well in a universal sense, even the universe will end. But we're talking about humanity.

[Kenadian]

Anyway, as far as the Sochi 2014 logos is concerned, a week later, I still feel that overall it was a miss.

I do like the font and colour they chose. Very modern. Very winter cool.

But to me, it feels incomplete, it reads as "sochi.ru 2014", the rings again look like a clumsy afterthought, it isn't as social-media friendly as claimed (it doesn't fit that well into a Twitter or Facebook profile page). I also get no feeling from it. Torino's has movement. Vancouver's has inviting colours. London's is like a shot of tequila in your tea. But this one is just... bland.

If this wasn't the final product I'd say this was a good start, but as a final product, just a bit underwhelming. But it does open the door for almost anything to happen with the rest of the branding effort because this image really doesn't tell us much.

And a final comment on the "new trend" in Olympic logo design. I don't understand the IOC marketing department. Have they become bored with their own brand success? While many other organizations would kill to have the brand strength, success, and consistency that the Olympic movement enjoys (and yes, consistency is an important element in brand building) - FIFA and the CGF are two that come to mind - the IOC has just kinda thrown that out the window recently. Perhaps they are just tinkering with it for now but we'll know for sure in 2011 when the Rio de Janeiro 2016 logo should be arriving.

[stir.ts]

Still love it. Not sure what all the agitation is about but thank GOD it isn't a primary colored little dittle-e-do or swirly-swoop......

Everybody hates word marks.............nuff said.

I love it.

[NY20??]

And a final comment on the "new trend" in Olympic logo design. I don't understand the IOC marketing department. Have they become bored with their own brand success? While many other organizations would kill to have the brand strength, success, and consistency that the Olympic movement enjoys (and yes, consistency is an important element in brand building) - FIFA and the CGF are two that come to mind - the IOC has just kinda thrown that out the window recently. Perhaps they are just tinkering with it for now but we'll know for sure in 2011 when the Rio de Janeiro 2016 logo should be arriving.

What success exactly? Most Olympic logos have worked as representations of the event they stand for, but after that, they are only remembered by people on Gamesbids.com. That's about it. The far majority of people forget about them.

The only thing the average person remembers are the rings. That's the foundation for the Olympic brand, that’s the consistency, that’s what has resonated with people, and they’re not changing them or throwing them out the window for that matter.

[Kenadian]

By brand, I mean BRAND. Not design. Sorry, I work in marketing and to us marketers, BRAND extends beyond a design. Think of the job BRAND manager - they don't just look after design. The Olympic BRAND is one of the biggest, most global ones out there, with companies and cities and athletes and volunteers all eager to be a part of it - a pretty big achievement for something that you can't buy, that only happens once every 4 years (well, 2 years, but let's separate the seasons), and is extremely difficult to be intimately involved with. The logos are part of building that brand and I agree that the Olympic rings is a huge marketing success, and while year-round Olympic interest isn't universal, I don't think the appreciation of this is just limited to Gamesbidders. After all, they still print and sell Mexico 68 t-shirts.

But design-wise, call me old fashioned, if you will...I just prefer the stacked look of city/year, rings, and a unique stylized graphic - it says 'Olympic host' to me.

[IceNarcissus]

Yes, the Sochi design is a bit paradoxical when it comes to the word brand. On one hand, it is the open-ended epitome of what a brand is and makes a very good example of branding in the study of marketing, but on the other hand it's a bad brand itself in that it's not awfully unique or has a strong focal point.

So, I guess what I'm saying is: it has the practical elements of a successful brand (clear wording, simplicity, recognizable feature i.e the rings, technically a tie-in to a larger brand), but overall within the context of the games comes up flat with no focal point.

Having a distinct focal point wouldn't be so important, but since this is a time-sensitive brand it can't rely on building a reputation on a product.

If sochi.ru2014 were some sort of insurance company you bet this would be a snappy and professional looking logo.

[nykfan845]

I honestly don't know how someone could love this logo.

It's Graphic design 101. No creativity. Purely business-like.

It effin sucks.

[canucks4ever]

Yes, the Sochi design is a bit paradoxical when it comes to the word brand. On one hand, it is the open-ended epitome of what a brand is and makes a very good example of branding in the study of marketing, but on the other hand it's a bad brand itself in that it's not awfully unique or has a strong focal point.

So, I guess what I'm saying is: it has the practical elements of a successful brand (clear wording, simplicity, recognizable feature i.e the rings, technically a tie-in to a larger brand), but overall within the context of the games comes up flat with no focal point.

Having a distinct focal point wouldn't be so important, but since this is a time-sensitive brand it can't rely on building a reputation on a product.

If sochi.ru2014 were some sort of insurance company you bet this would be a snappy and professional looking logo.

This is actually that the problem... if it was the new logo for an insurance company I would of say.... two thumps up! But not for an olympic event..... Not for something that come every four years.... something that is suposse to make every city unique.....

[gotosy]

December 7 - Sochi's new logo for the 2014 Olympics, released last Tuesday, has received a mixed reaction from industry experts but has generally been better received than the one so controversially launched by London 2012 more than two years.

Sochi's new brand, emblem and tag-line, introduced the first ever Olympic Games emblem that forms a web address to provide a clear emphasis on reaching new audiences through digital platforms.

Fred Burt, the managing director of Siegel+Gale London, said: "I'm no fan of the London 2012 identity so it's a relief to see Sochi 2014 restore some sanity.

"As a logo, it should work well in small sizes and next to other partner logos - key from a commercial point of view.

Richard Morris, the managing director of Identica, said: "My first reaction was thank goodness it's not trying to be desperately hip.

"Because, as we all now know, you just end up looking a bit desperate.

"My second was to wonder how the organisers had managed to send me 2,500 words over four separate documents to explain a logo containing 11 characters, a bit of mirroring and the Olympic Rings.

Simon Myers, the director of Figtree, said: "Not so much 'Gateway to the future!' as 'Back to the Future by way of Heroic Soviet Past'.

"Muscular, cold and imperious, it reminds one of the 1970's Soviet Union with its retro feel rather than the open and contemporary Russia that the organisers say they want to promote.

Stuart Gilmour, the creative director of Stand, said: "I think that the Winter Olympics have produced some of the best Olympic identities overall, Lake Placid '80, Sarajevo '84, Torino '06 and my personal favourite Sapporo '72."

"I think that the disappointment I have with the Sochi Zoiy (first impression - I didn't didn't see 2014) is that it's pretty much devoid of any kind of an idea, the mirrored hi/so typography didn't register for me at first.

Tim Crow, the chief executive of sponsorship consultants Synergy, said: "The 2014 emblem becomes the first Olympic logo to incorporate an internet domain – Sochi.ru – but otherwise it is much more a standard Olympic logo than London 2012, which was quite a radical departure from the historic family of Olympic logos.

"In fact, Sochi really reflects how different London 2012 was."

http://www.insidethegames.biz/index.php?op...d=1:latest-news

[IceNarcissus]

Gah. To me London and Sochi are one in the same, just different artistic interpretations of the same subject matter. I agree with all of the statements in that article. Why should anything that's just words need a huge, detailed explanation?

And this part is what actually bothers me about the Sochi logo - "As a logo, it should work well in small sizes and next to other partner logos - key from a commercial point of view."

So now sponsors and affiliates are now more deserving of attention than the actual event? They should be DESIGNED to "work well" with others instead of stand out on their own with their own vision? Another reason why London clearly has an edge, it's attention-grabbing.

The IOC needs to keep these kind of visual departures in check because letting that attitude persist can add to the potential total commercialization of the games by non-games entities.