(Photo: © LOCOG)

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) today unveiled the London 2012 Olympic Pictograms, the visual representations of each Olympic sport which will be used in the run up to and during the Olympic Games in 2012.  The 38 pictograms represent the sports and disciplines at the Games and will be used for signage, on tickets and on the field of play at Games-time, becoming an important ‘wayfinder’ tool for spectators. 

The London 2012 Pictograms were developed in consultation with each International Sporting Federation and have been designed to be vibrant and accurate depictions of each sporting discipline.  They will come in two different formats – a silhouette version for standard use and a dynamic version inspired by the connectivity of the London Underground map, which will be used on merchandise, on posters, sign posts and wayfinding materials. 

London 2012 Chairman Sebastian Coe commented, “The pictograms will be a vital wayfinder for spectators at Games-time and will become recognisable come 2012, but by unveiling them now we have a fantastic opportunity to use them as a tool for people to find out more about the Olympic sports.  Over the next three years, each sport has a golden opportunity to tell its story and educate the British public about what it is on offer at London 2012.  I hope the pictograms will be the gateway to achieve this and we will work with all of the governing bodies to ensure that knowledge of all the Olympic sports increases between now and 2012.”

Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell said, “These pictograms will be a simple way of helping people navigate London during the Games and a reference point for fans of the Olympic sports in the run up to and throughout the Games in 2012.  They will, I’m sure, become an enduring image of London 2012.”

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson commented, 'These are bold and dynamic images, which capture the energy and colour of the Games. Each sport is illustrated with graphic simplicity and the way it incorporates the iconic London Underground visual identity is genius. The designs will add to the pleasure of everyone attending, as well as helping them navigate the city whilst the Games are on.'

British Olympic Association Chairman Lord Moynihan said, “In 2012 Olympic sports and athletes will have a unique opportunity to showcase themselves to the UK and the world and the Pictograms will help do that.  They look fantastic and I am confident that they will become a key visual icon of the London 2012 Olympic Games.”

IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Denis Oswald said, “The pictograms of an Olympic Games are a unique link between the host city and the sports involved. The London 2012 pictograms are a strong and dynamic representation of the 2012 sports and are instantly recognisable as part of London’s look. This is particularly true of the dynamic version, which draws its inspiration from the London underground map, forever linking these Games to this great city. The Olympic summer sports are delighted by these designs and I hope that they will not just help people to find their way to the events but will also encourage young people to try out different Olympic sports as we head towards 2012.”

Olympic Games pictograms were first used at the 1948 Games in London and have become a regular feature of the Olympic movement since the Tokyo Games in 1964.  The Pictograms will be featured on limited edition adidas t-shirts on sale from October 24 2009 to celebrate 1000 days to go until the Olympic Games.  There will be a full set of Paralympic Pictograms which will be launched later this year.

The full set of London 2012 Pictograms can be viewed on the London 2012 website

 

Source: LOCOG