2012 logo designed to be a ‘blank canvas’

Chairman Brian Boylan’s claim in an e-mail to Wolff Olins staff that the London 2012 branding will get the ‘recognition it deserves’ may refer to the revelation that the initial logo format is intended to be a blank canvas.

According to reports, which have now been confirmed by a London 2012 spokesman, images will be used to fill the spaces, such as photographs and sponsorship messages, many of which will be created by the public following competitions held every six months.

1Already, the London 2012 sponsor Lloyds TSB has advertised in the press using the logo, but with its own corporate colours, as an example of the brand’s adaptability.

Separate versions of the logo, each with their own theme, will appear at sports venues throughout the games.

These plans link back to claims by Lord Coe and London 2012 chief executive Paul Deighton that the logo will ‘evolve’, and will be ever-changing and not static.

Separately, Ken Livingstone’s office has declined to comment on reports that the word London was only added to the completed logo at the Mayor’s insistence.



http://www.designweek.co.uk/Articles/135080/2012+logo+designed+to+be+a+%e2%80%98blank+canvas%e2%80%99.html

I'm becoming more intrigued by the logo. The fact is that it is not a logo, it is a brand. Wolff Olins is a brand management company more than anything and this article highlights this approach. They have in fact produced an identity that can be evolved and changed to suit it's needs and environment. It is therefore a more versatile logo than previous Olympic identities.