From the main logo to the visual concept and pictogram
‘Paris’ and ‘French culture’ expressed through simple lines and shapes
[ 매드타임스 이지원 인턴 기자] In 2019, the official logo and visual identity of the Paris Olympics scheduled to be held in 2024 were released. The logo was created by combining the image of a gold medal and torch symbolizing the Olympics with Marianne, a woman representing the French Revolution. Also, for the first time, the Olympic and Paralympic logos are the same.
And finally, the next level of visual identity and pictograms were revealed. Both images are created by blending the present and the past, inspired by the spirit of Paris and French culture and identity influenced by fashion, food, architecture and history.
Julie Matikhine, brand director of the Paris Olympics, said, “The combination of sport and style (form) is a feature of the Paris 2024 Olympic graphic design. The visual concept is ‘Sous les It’s ‘pavés, les Jeux’ (The game under the pavement),” he said. This sentence was taken from the phrase ‘Sous les pavés, la plage’, which was the beginning and symbolic slogan of the French 68 Movement that occurred in 1968. This phrase expresses the desire for freedom on the beach under the city full of stones, meaning that if you throw a paving stone at the police, you will be free.
The mannequin “was not only a way to express the attitude of the revolution, but also a way to tell a story (history) in general. Every city, town and street in France has a paving stone. The pavement is a symbol of French heritage. These paving stones are the foundation of our system. The paving stones are square, and a lot can be built with this simple model. But the important part is the meaning we put into the shape of the pavement,” he added, explaining the visual concept.
According to Mannequin, the squares all contain one of three elements: iconic architecture, French lifestyle, and sports. For example, the Eiffel Tower, a symbolic building in Paris, the host city, the heart meaning the city of love, and the sports represented by replicas of stadiums for each event. The squares are merged into a grid system where sharp lines and simple graphic shapes are interchangeable. This is a visual that the Art Deco style seen at the 1924 Olympics held in Paris can agree with.
The colors used are green, purple, blue and red, and these four colors are grouped together as white, gold and pink. All are bright colors, but the basis of the identity is pastel shades. Mannequin commented on this, “It is Paris, it is France. And it is a country of fashion and culture. So I didn’t want to make it rainbow colored. The colors are meant to celebrate happiness, invitation, positivity and the joy of the Olympics itself.”
The frescoes produced will adorn various Parisian landmarks throughout the Games, with finer details added as an extra layer. In addition, a paving stone set that reflects buildings and landmarks that can be found in various cities such as Bordeaux and Lyon will be produced and will blend naturally with other squares. This is to emphasize that the 2024 Paris Olympics will be held in various cities other than Paris, the capital of France.
In addition to the overall style of the Paris Olympics, pictograms for each sport were also revealed. Mannequin pictograms are described as ‘show off’ because pictograms resemble elegant family crests and serve as a badge of glory.
The biggest feature of the Paris Olympics pictogram is that people do not appear. Each pictogram consists of just three graphic elements: the axis of symmetry, the shape of the stadium ground, and the representative symbol of the sport. For table tennis, for example, it consists of two rackets and a playing table. Athletics has shoes facing different directions outside the track. A total of 70 pictograms were created, 8 of which will be used for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This is because the elements of the sport are all the same regardless of the player.
Copyright © MADTimes Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited
