It’s been kind of odd watching the 2010 Winter Olympics. I was in Vancouver at the time that the city won the bid, back in 2004. Although on a holiday, my professional interest soon peaked when an emerging story related to the Games’ logo started to emerge.
The Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) launched a competition to design the Games’ logo, open to amateurs and professionals alike. Nothing short of a huge speculative pitch. I documented the story for CSD’s ‘The Designer’ magazine and the piece was kindly reproduced by the GDC on its website (now offline).
The dogged determination shown by the GDC at the time to ensure that professional designers were represented intelligently and fairly was fantastic to witness, and renewed my faith in design associations at a time when the virtual community provided by the web was quickly making them obsolete.
The logo competition controversy aside, there were some neat little design touches that accompanied the Games, right down to the competitor bibs for Games events. CBC’s Olympic website was a concise and comprehensive reference point for events, results and Games news. The winners’ podium likely went unnoticed by most, save for those fortunate enough to step up onto it.
The success of the Games overall was a credit to Vancouver, and the infectious enthusiasm they brought to the party eventually won over even the most cynical of oberservers.