Olympics Identity System Design Process

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 Before starting this project, I researched the Olympics identity brand and locations it was previously held. I wanted a location that wasn’t used before so I could have fresh, new ideas and not worry about having similar design systems. The location I chose was Edinburgh, Scotland. The year I decided on was 2040 because I wanted a future year and not one that was already used. Once I decided the location and year of the Olympics, I started researching different elements associated with Edinburgh to decide my icon, wordmark, and primary brand mark. I didn’t want to use something that was overused like the loch ness monster but still recognizable and fit within the style I had for Edinburgh.

Playing off their architecture, I decided to use elements from Edinburgh’s castle which is one of their main landmarks. In the heart of Edinburgh’s castle, there is a tower, called David’s tower, which was the inspiration for the icon. For the wordmark, I wanted the font to resemble Celtic lettering. I ended up finding a font that was a softer version of Celtic lettering which nicely tied in the icon and words. After I completed my icon and wordmark, I created my primary brand mark, which was using the tower as the ‘i’ in Edinburgh and combining the tower with the ‘4’ in 2040, and my three lock up variations. 

 There were a few revisions after the first work-in-progress. For the icon, I created a Celtic knot to replace the window in the tower. I included five knots to symbolize the five rings that are used in the Olympics. For the wordmark, I changed the size of the 2040 since it was similar to the location size. I also did a different primary brand mark. Instead of the ‘i’ being replaced, I used the Celtic knot I created to replace the first zero in 2040. For the lock-up variations, I kept everything the same and just changed the tower to the update version. Other elements I added to my Olympic identity system were brand extensions and collaterals. For my brand extensions, I made two patterns which were a kilt pattern and a stone pattern. My last brand extension, I used common identifiers for Scotland as my icons. I have my icons interacting with the Olympic rings so it feels like they are a part of each other. The icons I recreated were the Edinburgh castle, loch ness monster, Scottish dog, and the Celtic knot. 

 After the second work-in-progress, there were only two things I needed to fix which was the Celtic knot in the icon and the hierarchy in the wordmark. The Celtic knot I made in the icon was too hard to distinguish in a smaller size so I had to come up with a different Celtic knot. I ended up using and recreating Solomon's knot. This only has two chains interacting with each other which is easier to distinguish on a smaller scale. This knot, also, connects with my brand. Solomon's knot symbolizes unity which goes with one of my values. Also, to me, the two chains represent the old and new Edinburgh which ties in to the motto, “New Beginnings.”  Once I fixed the icon, I replaced the other icons with the new version. For my wordmark, I had to readjust my 2040 again because I made it too small. I ended up making it bigger and moving it on top of the word so it wouldn’t get in the way of the ‘G’. Other small changes were replacing the Celtic knot in the primary word mark with the new one. This is so it could be cohesive with the design. 

A year after designing this identity system, I felt it no longer reflected the direction of the brand. The original wordmark wasn't working for me, the color system felt too limited, and the brand extensions lacked cohesion. As a result, I decided to redesign the entire identity.

One of my primary goals was to create a stacked wordmark that could function more effectively within a square-based system. I explored several concepts and ultimately landed on a solution where the E and B connect, creating a more distinctive and memorable mark. With the new wordmark established, I developed a range of updated lockup variations to improve flexibility across applications.

I also expanded the color palette from three colors to six, allowing the identity to adapt more effectively across different platforms and touchpoints. The new palette was integrated into existing brand extensions, while the overall visual language was refreshed through updated pattern designs. To further strengthen the system and improve communication across media, I introduced a set of custom pictograms that complemented the new identity.