Even before writing, symbols have always been part of human history; they're with us all the time to help us communicate, understand each other, and get organized. But if we're talking about the Olympics, there are records of illustrations and pictorial elements that somehow represented sports activities, going back to Stockholm in 1912 and Paris in 1924. For instance, during the Nazi era, the 1936 Berlin Olympics were used as a political tool, and the symbol system designed for those Games included graphic elements that were also used in Third Reich propaganda.
Pictograms and graphic systems for the Olympics were officially introduced and institutionalized in 1964, in Tokyo. However, hosting the XVIII Olympic Games was a chance for Japan to reintegrate into the international community in the post-war era, and the design undoubtedly played a big role in achieving that.
These Olympics, later named "The Perfect Games," not only stood out for their revolutionary graphic design and effectiveness in universal communication but were also the first to be broadcast live in color on television. Computers were used to measure exact competition times, and slow motion was employed for replays. All this with Japanese technology that was unknown to the rest of the world. And if that wasn’t enough, it was Tokyo '64 where the "bathroom sign" you’ve probably seen at some point was invented.
At Tambo DesignLab🧪, we love to highlight how design can enhance understanding and accessibility in various areas. Just like with Olympic pictograms, the work we do in our creative lab emphasizes the importance of design that is both functional and aesthetically relevant.
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