PyeongChang 2018 Emblem Unveiling

[DarJoLe]

You and JMark were separated at birth. You sing the Hallelujah chorus in response to London's design. He sings it for the ceremonies. We hear you.

Well obviously people aren't when the same basic arguments keep cropping up about it.

[olympiaki-agones]

If you say so.

You know what though, I could say the same for the American logos. The yellow and blue thing on the Salt Lake logo? 1989 Nintendo called, they want their poorly made koopa fireball graphic back. The 1984 LA logo, I personally happen to like. But someone in a far flung corner of the world calls 3 hard-on-the-eyes stars as being silly and completely devoid of meaning, well who am I to argue.

What does the LA'84 logo mean?

[baron-pierreIV]

What does the LA'84 logo mean?

It was called a "Star in Motion." It was meant to show velocity (of a runner), personified by a star hurtling along in the 3 American colors: red, (a negative) white (star), and blue.

Edited May 8, 2013 by baron-pierreIV

[Athensfan]

If you say so.

You know what though, I could say the same for the American logos. The yellow and blue thing on the Salt Lake logo? 1989 Nintendo called, they want their poorly made koopa fireball graphic back. The 1984 LA logo, I personally happen to like. But someone in a far flung corner of the world calls 3 hard-on-the-eyes stars as being silly and completely devoid of meaning, well who am I to argue.

Relativism only takes you so far. There comes a point where you can't say black is white. If you want to do the "one man's trash is another's treasure" dance, knock yourself out.

You seem to simplistically assume I dislike all things foreign and champion all things American. The truth is I love experiencing other cultures and would spend my life traveling if I could.

For the record, I like '84 quite a bit. I did not like '96 at all. I thought '02 was respectable, but it didn't blow my mind.

If you think PC's logo is wonderful, good for you. I'm sure they'll welcome you with open arms to their cheering section.

[FYI]

I actually liked Atlanta's 1996 logo a lot (among my summer favorites along with Barcelona, Sydney & now Rio) , LA's '84 not so much. Lake Placid 1980 was nothing really great either. Salt Lake's 2002 logo & Nagano's 1998 are among my favs in the winter category.

[Gangwon]

Relativism only takes you so far. There comes a point where you can't say black is white. If you want to do the "one man's trash is another's treasure" dance, knock yourself out.

Agreed. We just disagree on where that "point" should be on the spectrum. You just have a low bar.

[Athensfan]

Hm. I thought you had a low bar.

[Gangwon]

Ahh good call. You're right, your bar is higher than mine.

Point stands though, to call something a bland failure- that's a bold statement to make because you can play that game with any logo. Just look at you and FYI- one of you loves '84 and hates '96, the other is reversed. If FYI were to call '84 a bland failure, still doesn't make it a black and white issue.

[runningrings]

I don't even feel like Lake Placid 1980 even had a logo, it always has looked more like a poster to me.

[Athensfan]

I think the whys are important. As I said in another post, the criteria matter. Someone could dislike '84 because they dislike red white and blue. Someone could love '18 because it reminds them of the crayon drawing on their refrigerator. It's as important to evaluate the criteria as the opinion they support.

[Kenadian]

This needs a poll!

http://www.gamesbids.com/forums/topic/22695-poll-on-the-pyeongchang-2018-emblem/

[Ikarus360]

I liked LA'84 logo. Its obvious that it represents the so present star in american symbolism and now it has a very strong dynamic/retro feeling on it. Even though some people dislike Atlanta logo, I actually liked it a lot back in the days and the whole green quilt look of these games worked pretty well. As for the SLC 2002 logo, I thought it was ok, but I preferred much more the Nagano logo (plus they were getting repetitive with the snowflake emblems.

[BTHarner]

The LA star also had the thirteen lines to represent the 13 original colonies. just like the stripes on our flag, I throw that out for what it's worth.

[baron-pierreIV]

The LA star also had the thirteen lines to represent the 13 original colonies. just like the stripes on our flag, I throw that out for what it's worth.

Right. I forgot about that.

[Olympian2004]

I completely missed the logo launch - which probably tells a bit about the impact of those Pyeongchang 2018 Games. At least that joke of a logo tells a lot about their probable impact (or lack thereof): It shows that the Olympic Winter Games are coming to a country mostly without passion for most winter sports. If design companies can already earn lots of money for such primitive designs, then I with my almost complete lack of drawing skills could become rich, too. Ridiculous, just ridiculous!

[Athensfan]

It shows that the Olympic Winter Games are coming to a country mostly without passion for most winter sports.

EXACTLY.

[runningrings]

So.. on one hand everyone cries 'bored' when an OWG logo is "too wintery", but then its not wintery enough, or shows a lack of passion for winter sports?

Like or loathe the PC18 logo, just be thankful we don't have another bloody snowflake - imagine if every second Summer Games had a stylised sun taking centrestage. .

Edited May 9, 2013 by runningrings

[Athensfan]

So.. on one hand everyone cries 'bored' when an OWG logo is "too wintery", but then its not wintery enough, or shows a lack of passion for winter sports?

Like or loathe the PC18 logo, just be thankful we don't have another bloody snowflake - imagine if every second Summer Games had a stylised sun taking centrestage. .

In some ways I see what you're saying, but this is PC. All along one of the big concerns was the lack of passion for winter sport in Korea. THEY say this logo demonstrates it, but it clearly doesn't and that's worrisome. If Salzburg had turned out something weird and non-wintry it wouldn't raise eyebrows the same way. PC really has to prove that they were the right choice and can deliver exciting Games.

[baron-pierreIV]

Like or loathe the PC18 logo, just be thankful we don't have another bloody snowflake - imagine if every second Summer Games had a stylised sun taking centrestage. .

A snowflake differentiates it from the Summer Games. The Summer Games don't have to use a "sun." The point is the Organizing Committees of late seem to be competing in "who can design the more degenerated Olympic logo?," and squandering their one-in-a-million chance to create something beautiful for the ages.. Be glad that I don't run the Olympic museum and archives BECAUSE I would erase those Games from collective memory!!

[FYI]

While I don't particularly care for the logo myself, I think that making a correlation as to how the 2018 Games themselves will turn out as a result, is going a bit too far, & only leaves behind what type of bias is leading to this "conclusion". Sochi's 2014 very bland logo didn't get such like criticism. So the Winter Games can never expand beyond their core bcuz they only belong to the "traditional" winter nations? If that's the case, then the IOC should make that crystal clear in their Olympic Charter so that no else that doesn't hold these 'winter values' should waste their time & resources in trying.

[Olympian2004]

So.. on one hand everyone cries 'bored' when an OWG logo is "too wintery", but then its not wintery enough, or shows a lack of passion for winter sports?

Like or loathe the PC18 logo, just be thankful we don't have another bloody snowflake - imagine if every second Summer Games had a stylised sun taking centrestage. .

I for my part have never complained about "too wintery" OWG logos. So you are barking up the wrong tree if you reproach me with "double standards" or "inconsistency". In fact, I'm probably much more tolerant about OWG or Olympic logos in general than many people around. I remember, for example, which controversy Vancouver's logo stirred in parts of this forum - while I actually liked it and found it friendly, welcoming and even affable. And at the same time, I love truly wintery logos like Lillehammer's aurora borealis or Salt Lake's snowflake in the colours of the Utah landscape (desert brown and lake/sky blue) and with Native American style elements.

And by the way: Pyeongchang does have a stylised (and overly simplified) snowflake in its logo. Therefore I'm a bit surprised that you make such a statement like in your second sentence.

[Olympian2004]

While I don't particularly care for the logo myself, I think that making a correlation as to how the 2018 Games themselves will turn out as a result, is going a bit too far, & only leaves behind what type of bias is leading to this "conclusion". Sochi's 2014 very bland logo didn't get such like criticism. So the Winter Games can never expand beyond their core bcuz they only belong to the "traditional" winter nations? If that's the case, then the IOC should make that crystal clear in their Olympic Charter so that no else that doesn't hold these 'winter values' should waste their time & resources in trying.

Well, I did criticise the Sochi logo, and I criticised it harshly as well - because of the almost complete lack of creativity, cleverness and style. And for me, that logo was quite fitting as well for the image that Sochi conveys for me so far: The plastic Games (even if it's in a country far more passionate about winter sports than South Korea), imposed on a city that is actually a summer resort, bought and financed with big money and the (rather dubious) influence of "Don Putin". The Sochi logo also conveys something highly technical, pragmatic and emotionally cold (although that completely contradicts the spirit of the actual common Russian people - who are very hospitable and emotional). It feels disconnected from true passion for the Games. Although I expect the common Russian people to be great and enthusiastic hosts, I have serious doubts about the true winter sports passion of the organisers and especially "Don Putin" who seems to be always in the background of those Games.

[illustrado]

i always see the OWG as a spin-off. it put in to context, the summer olympics is like CSI: las vagas, the paralympics is CSI: miami, and OWG is CSI:NY. they are essentially the same show but with just a few differences. so even the opening credits (logo) has to be different. so like CSI: miami, OWG will feature snow and snowflake till the bitter end because that is what the games is about, sport in the clod climate.

i don't know that YOG is in this analogy.

.

.

.

i'll get my coat.

[runningrings]

In some ways I see what you're saying, but this is PC. All along one of the big concerns was the lack of passion for winter sport in Korea. THEY say this logo demonstrates it, but it clearly doesn't and that's worrisome. If Salzburg had turned out something weird and non-wintry it wouldn't raise eyebrows the same way. PC really has to prove that they were the right choice and can deliver exciting Games.

I think worrisome is perhaps a step too far. I could honestly say that Salzburg, Munich or Annecy probably would have delivered a more palatable logo to our tastes (IE/ Anglophone/European sphere), but the fact that in the presentation itself they explicitly mentioned how the logo they were about to unveil was "very familiar to Korean people, and not something familiar to foreigners" or words to the effect. This is simply intercultural communication politics at play here. From all evidence, they never intended to create a logo to appeal to the rest of the world, or that screams "KOREA" like the Seoul 1988 logo did - this is by Koreans, for Koreans. I'm fine with that. Personally, PC18 isn't exactly in my Top 5 as I've made clear earlier, but I don't think, at this early EARLY stage it is the write off everyone is pronouncing it to be, nor is it reflective of any kind of issues of "passion for winter sports" in Korea.

I for my part have never complained about "too wintery" OWG logos. So you are barking up the wrong tree if you reproach me with "double standards" or "inconsistency". In fact, I'm probably much more tolerant about OWG or Olympic logos in general than many people around. I remember, for example, which controversy Vancouver's logo stirred in parts of this forum - while I actually liked it and found it friendly, welcoming and even affable. And at the same time, I love truly wintery logos like Lillehammer's aurora borealis or Salt Lake's snowflake in the colours of the Utah landscape (desert brown and lake/sky blue) and with Native American style elements.

And by the way: Pyeongchang does have a stylised (and overly simplified) snowflake in its logo. Therefore I'm a bit surprised that you make such a statement like in your second sentence.

My initial comment wasn't explicitly directed at you, but more the overall consensus on this thread.

AS for the PC snowflake, I should have written "snowflake taking centre stage" - as I have previously in the thread. My typo. Unlike Salt Lake, Calgary, Sarajevo, Grenoble and to a lesser extent Turin and Sapporo, PC's 'snowflake' isn't the entire logo, but just part of it. And it has multiple meanings - the Korean sound/character.. an athlete.. a star..

[Athensfan]

Let me clarify: PC can stage absolutely fantastic Winter Games despite having a logo that some of us find uninspired. I am not saying that the logo is proof of anything, I'm just saying that it does nothing to offset the biggest fear about PC hosting Winter Games. Remember the dismal attendance for the Biathalon World Championships in 2009? This is not a totally unfounded concern. Koreans know short track and figure skating. The IOC and the rest of the Olympic community are trusting that they will get interested in and excited about the other sports as well. That can certainly still happen. The logo is not determinative of anything. I'm just saying that when a bunch of Koreans say that it demonstrates their "passion for winter sport" and there's nothing remotely passionate, wintry or sporting about it, it gives one pause for thought. That's all.

Love it or hate it, there's no way that logo can be described as "passionate" "wintry" or "sporting".