I’m not an Olympian by any stretch, but I have an Olympic story. My mountain shadow Olympic ski parka has hung in the same closet now for over 20 years. I don’t wear it much (never really), but I love it. Who knows, maybe it will be back in style in ten years (along with my USA Roots beret). I don’t really see it as a warm parka though. It’s a sentimental object imbued with the memories I made while wearing it in the chilly air of the Ogden Ice Sheet. In 2002, it kept me warm as I watched hours and hours of Olympic curling. In 2024, it keeps my memories of that time in vivid color.

I’ve always been a big fan of the Olympic games. When the entire world is watching, it makes sense to me to check out sporting events I might not normally give much attention to. I enjoy a nice Olympic binge for two weeks, and that tends to satisfy my Olympic-competition craving for the next four years when these same sports will then suddenly become interesting once again.

These games aren’t all about the wins or losses though. I love the human element, the stories of the individual athletes, the history of the host cities, and the historic venues, the volunteers… Volunteering in various capacities during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City is a fond memory. Working behind the scenes made it seem like I was getting a sneak peek into the theme and visual design of those Olympic games before anyone else.

I really have grown to love the graphic design behind each Olympic games and how it evolves each year. More and more, host cities are seizing the opportunity to use branding and design to accomplish more than basic way-finding signs and universal-language iconography. They are creating stories that can influence the human family. This is one of the reasons why graphic design is so exciting to me: a host city, who may never again be in the same kind of global spotlight, gets to step up to a world-wide microphone and speak. What is it they’ll wish to say?

Within the many elements of Olympic branding, and one that seems to garner significant attention each go around, are the pictograms illustrating each of the different sports featured during the games. Whether you’re into design or not, it is likely you’ve got an opinion about these each time they’re introduced. Click here to get a visual timeline of notable designs.

Fast forwarding through the years and we see notable design decisions indicating layers of meaning in these curious little icons. These pictograms become multifaceted in their messaging: represent the sport, extend the brand, support a theme, and represent the host city. That is a heavy lift for any designer to build. Years of examples demonstrate how this can be done in different ways through angles, organic lines, positive and negative space, and so on.

I’m excited to see the 2024 Olympics pictograms show a very out-of-the-box thinking compared to previous years. The geometry, consistent across sports, speaks to the art history and culture of Paris. There isn’t a human figure in any of the pictograms, but rather a representation of each sport’s field of play and associated equipment. The symmetry in each design reminds me of the competition of the sport.

This imagery and branding helps set the stage for the stories that will unfold during these games. However, I would argue the charm of the Olympics IS story. The victories, defeats, medals or last place finishes lose all interest without a broader context. Each individual athlete brings that gift to the table. The Olympic branding is simply the party décor and the custom gift wrapping. The reason they are so valued in conjunction with the games is how they help the color of our Olympic memories from fading.