Further Reading and Research

Olympic Visions
images of the games through history

Intro

• “at precisely 8 pm on the 8th day of the 8th month of the 8th year of the millennium - 8 being a lucky number in Chinese culture - an estimated tv audience of around 3 billion tuned in as 2,008 drummers, dressed as ancient warriors began the show”
• “Over the course of the next four hours, performers enacted a celebration of Chinese history and culture achievements, from Confucian philosophy to the invention of printing”
• with such a huge number of games being held throughout the 20 and 21st century, “a sheer preponderance of activity that gives some indication of how vital a component within international mass culture the Olympic movement has now become”
• “far from being simply a sporting festival”
• “The visual spectacle of the games, and the various culture manifestations that surround them”
• “Throughout the modern era, the Olympic Games have provided a primary focus for visual culture in its broadest sense”
• “ They have provided an impetus for paintings, prints and sculptures, for poster, flag, logo and stamp designs”
• also includes designs for medals, torches, mascots and badges, cigarette cards and board games
• To date, deployment of imagery has tended more towards the casual and the uncritical
• Olympic art competitions held between 1912 and 1948
• Breadth and diversity of responses to the Games in visual culture
• Lein Riefenstahl’s “iconic and infamous cinematic epic” 1936 Olympics
• 16 June 1894, the International Olympic Committee was born
• From this point on, the olympics sought to be about more than just sport
• drawing on the traditions of the ancient olympic games other cultural activities were always planned along side sports
• Coubertine’s perception of Olympism
• to this day, interconnectedness between sport and arts is still considered an integral aspect of the Olympics mission

The Birth of the Modern Olympics

• One of the earliest signs of sport and the arts coming together in the Olympics is the statue of Georgios Averoff
• this was a clear, explicit gesture of Greek national pride
• Followed by an unveiling of a national flag with Averoff “proffering a gesture of welcome”
• This was also an early sign of culture being conveyed through art and branding a nation intended to convey national pride, a key concept in modern day olympic branding

Promoting the Games : Publicity and the official olympic poster

• With the failure of the London Games 1908, came criticism towards the advertising present during the games
• The Daily Mail quoting “Thousands upon thousands of people are visiting the White City, but little or nothing is done to draw their attention”
• “Why should not huge posters be displayed in such a way that visitors could not but know that at certain hours certain events were being decided” (17 July 1908) cited in Rebecca Jenkins, The First London Olympics (London,2008)
• the absence of publicity and branding has been a notable feature of all the Games up until London
• “In an ear in which the advertising poster was at its apex in terms of both quantity and quality of production, it is striking that none of the early Olympic festivals had produced an official poster promoting the games as a whole”
• there is evidence however that some posters were created for individual events
• London, White City 1908 may be the first example of official publicity posters for the Games.
• Posters have then subsequently become one of the most powerful visual expressions associated with the Olympic Games.

Waving the Flag

• “Though modest in appearance, the London poster of 1908 established some basic design principles that would variously be adopted, adapted and rejected over the course of the next century”
• The image is dominated by a monumental athlete in costume. 
• The professional running shoes suggest athletics, although the pose, hand on hip holding an olive crowned shield, is noticeably passive
• The figure stands over a typographical representation of the location of the Games
• Behind the athlete, the flags of many nations form a colourful background.
• “Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Union Jack flag takes pride of place at the apex”
• reflecting Edwardian Britain’s confident sense of its own place in the world
• The inclusion of national flags in the poster carried much significance for the moment of production
• Coubertin intended for the Games to be a competition between athletes, but due to certain events happening in the London Games between the UK and US, the birth of international competition occurred
• Flag waving featured in the posters for the Stockholm Games of 1912, designed by the swedish royal academician, Olle Hjortzberg
• “The Stockholm image represents a group of naked male youths performing a ‘march of nations’ while waving the national symbols of 22 of the 28 participating at the games
• Again, the flag of the hosts is predominant 
• Problems and opinions arose about the hierarchy of flags within the image. The British and US flag being the next predominant after the Swedish, raised a few eyebrows and in some circumstances resulted in ‘a disinclination… to exhibit’
• A report claimed, however that the ordering of flags was ‘determined by colouristic, and not political, reasons’
• The Stockholm Games produced nearly 90,000, a huge up scale from any previous games.
• They were the first games to want to alert people from all over the world and to do this they asked all sweedish business men travelling abroad to carry a poster with them on their journeys
• This campaign further enlarged the reach and audience of the games from then on
• The official poster would from then on play a vital role in a wider olympic publicity drive and become an established element in the games 

Classical Resonance

• The sculptures featured in the London and Stockholm posters represent the “classical heritage” on the games themselves
• The poster for Antwerp 1920 consists of an athlete once again towering over the host city with the nations flags spiralling down behind him, designed by Walter van der Ven
• the discus thrower is based upon a monument produced by Matthias Kessler, a bronze copy was then made to feature within the games themselves
• this showing clear efforts to advertise and commemorate national pride and culture
• “the intertwining of flags around an image of sport situated geographically in the city of Antwerp, proposed a more conciliatory present where nation states could compete on the playing field rather than the battlefields of Flanders”
• The poster design also being influenced by the moment as well as culture, referring to the war going on
• Other visual aspects of the poster and games in general communicate peace; the releasing of doves, coat of arms garlanded with flowers
• The Olympic flag of the 5 circles designed by Coubertin in 1914 was also flown for the first time
• The logo represents the union of the 5 continents
• The overarching design theme was the use of classicism to signify peace and internationalism
• “recognising the political value of staging the Games as a showcase for the new National Socialist regime, the German Organising Committee certainly put their full force behind this process, handing over responsibilities for publicity to the Ministry for Propaganda”
• 1934 - an official poster competition launched and 59 submissions received but all were rejected
• Franz Würbel’s powerful image of “an olive-wreath-clad olympic victor emerging from behind the looming presence of the Brandenburg gate” was accepted as the official poster for the games.

Planning Design Sheets 2,3 & 4

Task 1:

1 x design sheet outlining relevant contextual research

This design sheet must include at least 4 relevant areas of contextual research/information that will inform your design strategy. At least 1 of these areas must be related to your chosen CoP theme (Politics, culture, society, history, technology or aesthetics).

Some suggested contexts: Client / project background | industry / sector | cultural aspects | sub culture | specific technologies | the internet | social media | historical periods | branding | advertising | colour theory | psychology

Relevant Areas of Contextual Research:

1. Existing branding and identity for previous Winter Olympic Games

- A large part of my research will be analysing previous designs such as posters and logos for past Winter Olympic Games. I will be critically analysing the designs to investigate the cultural influences that can be taken from the branding. 

- I will also be looking at how each of the host countries have utilised the art & design movement at the time.

2. Poster Design from around the world and throughout the ages that communicate aspects of the culture or nation in which the design was based.

- Not only will I be looking at Olympic Games Posters, I will look at poster design in general

- comparing the ways in which they differ from one another depending on the date and location of them

3. Logo design  from around the world and throughout the ages that communicate aspects of the culture or nation in which the design was based.

- try to find examples of logo design that are specific to the nation or culture it is intended for

4. General differences and similarities between design cultures of different nations

- what are the obvious differences and why/how did they come about

- e.g. example of Buddhism art culture...

Task 2:

1 x design sheet outlining target audience research

This design sheet must include geographic (country, region) , demographic (age, job role, income, socio-economic status, nationality) and psychographic (interests, values, beliefs, opinions, attitudes, activities, social groups, lifestyle) information on the target audience.

In order to further substantiate these you must compose 3 x "personas" representing three types of your ideal target audience/user. Each persona should have a name and cover all the aspects of geography, demographic and psychographic.

- My target audience will be on a global scale and will need to appeal to all corners of the globe.

- People of all ages enjoy the Olympic Games, however less people enjoy the Winter Olympics

- The target audience of winter sports are aimed more at nations that compete and have an interest in the sports. nations that practice winter sports on a regular basis.

- This includes regions such as the Alps, Other European resorts, USA, Japan, China etc

- People of all social groups and lifestyle can enjoy the olympic games which is why it is so big around the world. You do not need an extensive knowledge or understanding of the sports your watching as it is still entertaining.

- The people that will be the most interested and engaged will be fellow athletes, people who enjoy the sports regularly, people involved in them in other ways, aspiring athletes.

3 x Personas :

Name: Alexander Vardy
Gender: Male
Age: 14
Nationality: British
Occupation: Student, aspiring athlete
Interests: Sports, Gaming

Name: Britney Adams
Gender: Female
Age: 23
Nationality: USA
Occupation: Amateur Gymnast
Interests: Gymnastics, Films, Other Sports

Name: Kristoffer Olsen
Gender: Male
Age: 67
Nationality: Norwegian
Occupation: Retired Engineer
Interests: Long walks, Family Occasions, Socks

Task 3:

1 x design sheet identifying and analysing relevant and related visual examples.

This design sheet must include at least 4 examples of graphic works related to your project. Use this extract from "Visual Research" by Noble and Bestley to aide your analyses. To demonstrate that you have understood the text you must use at least 3 of the key terms discussed within your analyses.

1. Previous Poster Design For the Winter Olympics

I'll be critically analysing Olympic Poster Design belonging to a number of previous Olympic Games. I will be exploring how the culture and design culture of that period and specific to the host country differs between designs.

As the Winter Olympics is held every 4 years, the designs for each of the games differs hugely. This is an accurate representation of the design culture and influences of that period of time. This gives me a secondary focus of analysis alongside the cultural influence.

Maybe how each culture interpreted the design culture of the time.

The designs differ hugely from one another, demonstrating that different nations have completely different styles and influences.

2. General Poster Design...

3. Cultural Logo Design...

4. General differences and similarities between design cultures...

Refined & Finalised Research Question

Research Question :

Exploring Design Culture combined with Branding & Identity through poster and logo design...

What Influence has history & culture had on Graphic Design around the World ?

or

How do countries use Graphic Design as a means of global advertising and branding ?

or

How has history & culture been portrayed within the branding of the Olympic Games ?


Defining Design Problem :

Comparing and contrasting previous design work for the Olympic games and investigating which, if any, stand out as being more successful and which have been less so.

I will then be solving the problem of designing the identity of the upcoming Olympic games In South Korea

"Client" needs or requirements :

In order to comply with the rules and regulations of Olympic branding, I will be referring to the Organising Committees of the Olympic Games (OCOG) to inform my investigations.

Audience :

The Olympic Games is a global event spectated by millions around the world. This means that the identity of them is viewed by everyone, anywhere. This heavily informs the design work as the aim is to brand and advertise the host nation as best as possible.

Mandatory Requirements :

Produce a campaign suitable for a global audience whilst conveying key aspects of culture and design culture.

Poster Design

Compare and Contrast Poster Design

How are culture and trends represented through poster design

How does poster design represent culture and design 

Posters act as a representation of both art movements and trends at that time as well as the cultural heritage of the host country.

• One main aim of all Olympic branding is to convey culture of host Country
• makes for ideal analysis and comparisons between the designs of each culture
• each hosts designs will be a direct representation of design styles and trends at that time.
• also include art and design movements; modernism, postmodernism

Lake Placid 1932

Set against this background, there is a silhouette of a ski jumper, its minimalist style being in-keeping with the art movement of the time. 

The poster presents a map of the USA which indicates the location of Lake Placid. Set against this background, there is a silhouette of a ski jumper, its minimalist style being in-keeping with the art movement of the time. The image of the ski jumper with the map of the United States was also used for the emblem of the Games. At the top of the poster the Games edition is mentioned and, at the bottom, the city, country and date.

Calgary 1988

The OCOG produced several posters on this theme, presenting, for example, the stadium which hosted the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Games or the skiing venues.

The poster presents a view of the city of Calgary with the Rocky Mountains behind. At the center of the poster there is a large version of the Games emblem, with the theme of this Games edition in French and English at the top. 

Nagano 1998

A thrush is perched on a ski pole. This native bird of Siberia migrates every year to spend the winter in Japan. 

The OCOG asked various renowned Japanese artists to create general promotional posters for the 1998 Winter Games. These were published successively between 1995 and 1997:

Katsumi Asaba

Hiro Yamataga

Koji Kinutani

Opening Ceremony poster: The OCOG chose this work to illustrate the three keywords of the Opening Ceremony: simplicity, dignity and spirituality. 

In the background, dawn breaking over the mountains reflects the OCOG’s desire to organise Games in harmony with nature. 

- reflects earlier reading… Buddhism meant Eastern art focus mainly on nature and had it has the foreground and hierarchy in art and design throughout history. This is because Buddhism favours the natural world and recognises the impermanence of humanity 

- this is clear in the poster design here, western hosts would be more inclined to feature an athlete as the main focus.

Salt Lake City 2002

The sports posters: The OCOG’s creative services produced a series of sports posters showing athletes in characteristic Utah landscapes. 

These posters are strongly influenced by the nature and geography of the host country. This is one example of how the culture and context of a poster can influence and set it apart from other designs.

Turin 2006

The poster design represents Antonelli’s dome, the emblematic architectural feature of the city of Turin. The design also symbolises the values of the Games, sport and the host city. The dome, in seven colours, slopes down to become a mountain or a ski run. On the left, a three-dimensional effect reveals a second dome, white like the snow this time. Its base is decorated with the official Games emblem and slogan Passion lives here

Possible Practical Investigation

Redesign Tokyo 2020 Olympic games posters

• current visuals are dated
• logo basic
• logo animation dated

Redesign Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics

This is the proposed logo design for the next winter olympic games in South Korea.

Straight away I thought that these designs are incredibly basic and unworthy of representing such a prestigious event.

Triangulation Task

Reading and Understanding a Text


Beginning to find academic sources of information relating to my chosen topic.

My area of research at the moment is simply the study of cross-cultural design. Possible avenues include the growing need for design to cross cultural borders / how design changes across various cultures (culture sensitive design) etc...

A potential focus is looking at a particular brand / product / service and how it differs across cultures. Whether that be through logo design, advertising, marketing, branding etc. It would form a compare and contrast essay.

I have begun my research by looking more broadly at the topic, hoping that I will find a strong and interesting question from this.


Cross-Cultural Design : communicating in the global marketplace (1995)

By Henry Steiner and Ken Haas

"people often mistakenly assume that the arts are truly universal... design is also part of a person's set of cultural understandings of the world and reality"

"The Mahayana Buddist tradition perceives the impermanence of all matter, including humans... and so Chinese arts concentrate not on individuals but on nature... while Western artists developed portrait paintings to a fine art"

"If our culture sets the parameters of our vision, then how can we hope to communicate to others whose visions are coloured by quite different cultural lenses"

"Those communicating across cultural borders, however, must be prepared for the possible reinterpretation of their work"

Key Points :

Cross-Cultural Design illustrates the particular challenges and rewards graphic designers have experienced while working on assignments aimed at cultures other than their own.

The potential hazards of ignored or misunderstood taboos.

Strongly agrees that there are major considerations if one was to design for multiple cultures at once.


noAH : Directory of International Package Design (2005)

by Yumiko Mochizuki, Robert Morris & Satoru Shiraishi

"the package design industry has taken on a scope of borderless worldwide business and the artworks of package designers are being utilised everywhere in the international market places"

"package design is universal; it recognises no barriers, and when done well communicates its intended message to everyone"

"Yet if you were to take away the caption info it would be rather difficult to identify the packaging of wine bottles from a French designer, or breakfast cereal packaging from a Brazilian designer"

Key Points :

This publication displays design from all over world

Compared to the previous reading, this one definitely sways more to the side that good design can work anywhere, in any culture

It states that its "borderless" and a "worldwide business"

Journal of Design History (1993)

Confronting real problems: Cross-cultural design

by Colin Mulberg

"designers have a responsibility to find out exactly what people need, and to make sure that any particular design fits into their lives"

"designers must recognise that what is right for some people may be drastically wrong for others"

Intermediate Technology - "specific branch of technology which focuses on fitting design to the local cultural, economic and social needs of developed countries"

Key Points :

This writer appreciates the considerations needed by a designer when it comes to the culture of the intended audience

If not considered enough, design could in fact offend or have negative effects on its audience

Design Issues (2006)

by D.J.Huppatz

"Honk Kong's design culture has traditionally been discussed in terms of "East meets West" which served to neutralise impact of colonisation"

Henry Steiner - "'cross-cultural' design theories have provided a model for many other designers"

"His cross-cultural designers carefully maintain the difference between Eastern and Western culture, subtly reinforcing the hierarchies of Hong Kong's colonial situations"

Key Points :

Henry Steiner's theory of cross-cultural design is explained throughout the text

A point made about the neutralisation of colonies through design culture in Hong Kong


Short Essay Practice

Producing design with an intended target audience that crosses numerous different cultures can prove problematic and raises an extensive list of ethical considerations. Henry Steiner and Ken Haas have said that “people often mistakenly assume that the arts are truly universal... design is also part of a person's set of cultural understandings of the world and reality” (Steiner and Haas, 1995). However, this view isn’t universal in itself, evidenced by the authors of the noAH directory of international package design. In it, they state that "package design is universal; it recognises no barriers, and when done well communicates its intended message to everyone" (Yumiko Mochizuki, Robert Morris & Satoru Shiraishi, 2005). Both views can be evidenced as correct through existing examples of design that are either culturally aware and specific or design that is made to appeal to a wide and multicultural audience whilst staying aesthetically consistent. International companies such as Nike and Adidas have consistent campaigns that are shown across the world. These campaigns stay the same in whichever context their shown in as the design and message behind it is relatable by anyone and is thought up with this in mind. An obvious example for this is Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ slogan that has been viewed by millions of people all over the world and has had a similar effect on each individual, no matter what their cultural background is. As opposed to focusing on the audience culture, instead this slogan focuses on the relationship between consumer and brand as well as being open to individual interpretation. By having this as the main focus, the slogan can then be applied to people of all cultures as it allows people to relate and understand in their own, personal way.

As well as the cultures themselves, art and design within these said cultures have had their differences throughout human existence, this can be evidenced using religion and beliefs as an example. Going back to what Steiner has said, he refers to Buddhism not only as a religion but as a strong influence on the art and design culture of Hong Kong throughout history until this day. "The Mahayana Buddist tradition perceives the impermanence of all matter, including humans... and so Chinese arts concentrate not on individuals but on nature... while Western artists developed portrait paintings to a fine art" (Henry Steiner, 1995). This observation shows clear differences in the way art and design culture is portrayed and received amongst differing belief systems.