product of the environment

Around 36 hours before writing this, the new logo for the London Olympics was unveiled and the controversy has been never ending since. From petitions online with nearly 30000 signatures on it, to forums and comments which make you wonder about the mentality of people.

Speaking as a designer I can’t say I am overwhelmed by the logo for the 2012 games, but I feel it is time to speak out about those people claiming a 4 year old can do better, or their cat could do better. These people say the same thing about a Picasso, or any other artist who they don’t understand or fail to look deeper into than the recieved perceptions of their peers or the media.

The BBC website had people submitting their own versions which were posted on their website and a poll was set up to guage public opinion. None of the submitted logos lit any sparks underneath me and as ever the opinion of middle England, with its twitching net curtains and hatred of change and progression is taken as the one opinion of the whole country. (One of the logos breaches a copyright law in a big way)

Whilst I’m still not swung on the whole concept of the logo, I am more so now after the comments of the misinformed, under-interpreting public, than when I first saw it yesterday afternoon simply because I feel I should rally behind the agency involved, once again pilloried by a public which doesn’t understand the process or the need for design. It’s a sad day.