Olympics Rome 2024
Brand identity research
Comunicazione d’impresa Prof. Danny Kreeft
ISIA | progettazione grafica e comunicazione visiva
Sonia Poto matricola 1068
III Triennio A.A.2013 - 2014
The material in this booklet has been produced by Merih Akman, Anna Cecchini, Claudia Colombo, Sonia Poto and Federica Selleri.
0.Index 1.Research 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Origin 1.3 Focus on emblematic case 1.4 Olympic structure 1.4.1 Olympic Charter 1.4.2 International Olympic Commitee 1.4.3 Nominations 1.4.4 INOC p.21 1.5 Rome 1.5.1 The actual identity of Rome 1.5.2 Other corporate images in the city 1.5.3 Clichè and stereotypes 1.5.4 Interviewing foreigners, italians and citizens of Rome p.5 p.7 p.9 p.15
2.Sitography p.31 2.1 Links
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1.1 Introduction
The Olympics are a very broad and complex context to investigate, for this reason we have identified focal points that define the way in which identities were constructed in the Olympic history and the political, social and economic context in which they are developed.
In addition, we proposed to investigate thoroughly how the city has already dealt with the Olympics of 1960 and how the current context is proposed also in terms of brand identity and spirit of the city. To make this work in a systematic and deep way into all the most crucial aspects of content we have divided this work index.
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1.2 Origin
A brief history of the ancient olympic festivals that took place in Olympia, Greece is explained in the following paragraphs. Mythology is a particular element which has been a valid source of inspiration for the creation of most of the visual identities of the Games. Initially the term “Olympiad” was used for defining the period between one game and another which usually consisted in four years. Hereafter, Olympiads have become the name of agonistic international games themselves. The name Olympiad hails from the city of Olympia in Elis, a historical area in the north of Peloponnesus, a place for worshipping. The most famous and immediate symbol of the games is the “five circles”, which stand out on each games identity. These weaved rings represent the union of the five continents, meanwhile the five colors (red, green, blue, black and yellow) assigned to the rings have been chosen by Pierre de Coubertin because back then they were used
in flags all over the world. The commonly believed idea that each color represents a specific continent has been recently falsified by the Olympic commitee. In spite of that, most of people continue to associate each color to a continent: black for Africa, green for Oceania, red for America, blue for Europe and yellow for Asia. There is a story about the de Coubertin’s inspiration of circles: he was in Delphi, a famous archaeological site in Greece. While sitting down to rest for a moment he saw a stone with five weavedcircles carved on. Another story tells that two rings for athletes’ uniforms of UFSA, Union des Societes Françaises des Sports Athletiques. Besides the five rings, there are other symbols that stand for the Olympic games; some of which are the olympic torch, the maxim and the hymn. The identity of each game instead is designed specifically for the occasion, and this consists in a logo, posters, medals, mascots and other identity elements.
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1.3 Focus on emblematic cases
The analysis of the past, current and future identities of the Olympic games is very useful to understand how nations, and specifically cities, prefer presenting themselves to the whole world. It’s clear that some countries, such as Brasil in case of Rio, have an urging demand for an optimistic branding, inspiring trust and comfort. Meanwhile others, like in the case of London 2012, can permit themselves to design a very futuristic and shocking identity, because they don’t need to prove themselves to the world. Such diversification is extremely important when projecting the identity of a city, as the Games don’t represent only the sports but very much more. Understanding the sociopolitical conditions and the history, traditions and culture of a country is fundamental to contextualise the role of the Games that it will host. For this reason, the most prevalent cities in the history of the games have been chosen and analysed, and by overlapping its results with the analysis of Rome the 2024 identity will start having a shape.
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1.3 Focus on emblematic cases
Los Angeles 1932 The first identity that could be considered as a “logo” in the games’ history. The following identities will be taking this one as a basis, leaving aside the poster identiry and focusing on symbolic design.
Rome 1960 The central figure of the ’60 summer olympics logo was chosen to be the Capitoline Wolf –a legendary symbol of Rome from ancient times. The composition is finalized with the date of the games in roman numbers. The very rigid design of the games may refer to neofascist periof of Italy.
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1.3 Focus on emblematic cases
Mexico City 1968 One of the most significant identities of all times, Mexico ‘68 refers to the local art of the country and recreates a pattern for the games. For being the product of the most vivid years of the XX century, it updates the local artwaork by making it interact with 60’s psychedelia. The reason why such a huge identity was created is because it’s the first Olympic game made in Latin America, with geographical and infrastructural problems that had to be in a way disregarded.
Munich 1970 Munich games have a very strong identity designed by Otl Aicher, with the concept of “simplistic design”. Even though the logo is b/w, the rest of the identity seaems to be relating to the colors of Bavary. The use of Helvetica and the articulated pictograms may be due to the modernistic tendencies of the time.
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1.3 Focus on emblematic cases
Athens 2004 This identity is an important one to consider when designing the Rome 2024 identity, due to the classical history of both cities. It relates to the national colors of Greece, by redesigning the olive branch in a naive way. With the motto of embracing the whole world, it underlines the return of the games to Greece. According to the designer Wolff Olins, it was particularly effective in attracting sponsorship.
Beijing 2008 The identity of Beijing is formed by an athlete running forward, embracing the joy of victory and at the same time looks like a Chinese character. The adequate font selection recalls chinese calligraphy and the red stands perfectly for China. The 2008 games were highly important for the country to launch itself to the world, to shout out its power and glory. The opening and closing ceremonies are a perfect example of this.
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1.3 Focus on emblematic cases
London 2012 The London 2012 identity is the most criticized identitywe came up with during this research. Made by the same designer of Athens 2004 (Wolff Olins), the public reaction to the logo was largely negative. It was criticized for not representing London’s characteristics or qualities, and for being visually irritant. According to the designer, instead, it’s conceived to inspire a generation, to get involved and to feel part of London. It’s to be filled with images, and it represents the actual traits of the city. It’s edgy and modern.
Rio de Janeiro 2016 The identity of Rio was projected by tracing the outline of the hills of Rio, with the aim of representing “passion and transformation”. The transformation expressed in the concept of the project is the way Brasil wants to reflect itself to the world, expressing unity, inspiring achievement and optimism. It should be innovative and futuristic as it has to last until the games. The final design represents an embrace, the hills, the colors and the movement of the city.
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1.4 Olympic structure 1.4.1 Olympic Charter
The Olympic Charter is a written guide made of rules and guidelines that resumes the principles, the rules and the laws of the Olympic Games adopted by the International Olympics Committee (IOC). It supervises the organization and the development of the Games and defines conditions for the celebration of the Olympiads. The fundamental principles defined in the Charter are the modern definition of “Olympic� imagined by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894: his philosophy was the association between sports, culture, education and development for a pacific society as the final goal. It is also defined as the Olympic Movement, a clear consequence of the Olympiads, as an extent that makes groups of sporting clubs and athletes. It tries to contribute to the building of a better world where young men and women get educated according to sports without racism or prejudice. Activities and purposes of the Olympic Movement are represented by the symbol of five weaved rings as an abstract visualization of embraced continents.
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1.4 Olympic structure 1.4.2 International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been established on June 23, 1894 as the supreme and fundamental authority of the Olympic Movement. It includes the International federation (FI) and the National Olympic Committee (CNO). The IOC has described in its entirety in the research of:
• legal status • organization • role • patronage • rights
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1.4 Olympic structure 1.4.3 Nominations
The Olympic nominations consider all the cities that took part in the selection procedure for the organisation of the summer and the winter games. Overall the Olympics have taken part in fifty cities.
Election of the cities This section defines the rules and requirements that the hosting cities must respect: a case study has been done on the candidate cities for 2020: Istanbul, Tokyo and Madrid, from which we can gather some guidelines.
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1.4 Olympic structure 1.4.4 INOC
ITALIAN NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE The INOC, an emission from the International Olympic Committee (CIO), is the most important authority in protocol, control and manage of the italian sporting activities. The Italian National Olympic Committee, a public company that defines the organization and the building up of national sports, promotes the greatest diffusion of sporting practice.
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1.5 Rome
We have to underline an important topic. Nowadays in Italy, in particular in the institutional realities there is no money to invest in a cultural and intellectually acceptable corporate image. The consciousness for a correct and functional corporate image design for big institutions doesn’t exist. The graphic project is left in the hands of “anyone” because “anyone” can participate in contests to draw identities. This is how most of the institutional identities are made: ridiculous budgets, incompetent clients. The examples are various, and Rome is an emblematic example of this situation. We think that graphic design is superfluous. There’s no-one in fault but the system itself. This makes the Rome 2024 identity project utopic. How we pretend to analyze the city (and the way we will be moving on).
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1.5 Rome 1.5.1 The actual identity of Rome
Way of thinking and projecting to communicate: Rome has two types of logos: one for the institution and one for the marketing of the city. Both of these identities is susceptible of some changes after a test phase.
Institutional logo In the abstract of the new identity of Rome, we see the intention of defining it like a smart city which in its conservatism has the consciousness of the new world in which we live. Truth (or not) written in the abstract (which pretends to describe this new face of the city): • Implementing communication; • Using citizens active collaboration; • New languages which allow dialogue between citizens and the authorities; and many other things that don’t actually reflect the effective status of the city and its communication with reality.
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Formal choices
1. Content: The identity project was born in 2010 when the “città di Roma” became “Roma Capitale”. This is how the institutional website describes the new logo designed by Inarea Studio: “The City of Rome in 2004 embarked on a policy of brand management and corporate identity with the goal of making their own recognizable communication through a unified and shared format. The program to redesign the emblem of the city ( the shield with the inscription SPQR ) had standardized many variants hitherto existing. The traditional image of the shield was added to enhance the communicative impact, an image of great evocative power: the name of Rome.
1.5 Rome 1.5.1 The actual identity of Rome
This identity has followed the guidelines encoded by a “manual”: the campaigns, publications, items of correspondence,forms, signs of the offices and other products of corporate image. Subsequent extensions have then involved the public transportation, AMA,trademarks and logos of Municipalities, Municipal Police Corps.”
The commercial logo For the selection of this logo, a national competition was made under the name of “Rome in a picture”: The brief demanded: “contemporary redesign of the Capitoline Wolf, symbol of Rome’s foundation, combined with the textual expression/logo “Rome” and was direct to agencies and professionists in communication design, students or grads with no age limit in the areas of Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Advertising, Fine Arts and Cultural Heritage.”
2. Shapes: shield and crown. 3. Colors: Crimson red and yellow. 4. Typography: Urbe typeface designed for the city by Inaera, inspired to the historical “Roman Lapidary”. This typeface is strictly related to the tradition and express the spirit that the city wants: classical and conservatorist.
This is the motivation of the choice (quoted from the website):
“... The power of appeal to the classical tradition, evident as much in the rich iconography of the capital as the momentum of the column topped by a stylization of the legendary Wolf.” 23
1.5 Rome 1.5.1 The actual identity of Rome
Keywords that diversify the identity of the city of Rome:
• Conservatism • Tradition • Classicism • Marble • Columns • Sculpture • Connection • Eternal City • Urbe • Elegance • History • Latin • Roman Empire • Vatican
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1.5 Rome 1.5.1 The actual identity of Rome
Common sayings about Rome: Roma non è stata costruita in un giorno;
Chi a Roma vo’ gode’, s’ha da fa frate; A Roma Iddio nun è trino, ma quatrino.
Tutte le strade portano a Roma. All streets lead to Rome: according on the real fact that the greatest routes of connections pass through Rome (because they’re built when the city was the center of Roman Empire;
Roma Caput Mundi Rome: eternal city or the center of the world The eternity of Rome is due to its immortal beauty and the fact that it was built on the ruins of the old architecture.
Roma è la capitale del mondo; Roma è come la Fabbrica di San Pietro, non finisce mai; Quando a Roma ce s’è messo er piede, resta la rabbia e se ne va la fede; Roma veduta, religione perduta Seeing Rome makes you lose your belief; Chi sta lontano da Roma sta più vicino a Dio;
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1.5 Rome 1.5.2 TOther corporate images in the city
• Art • Architecture • Design • Events • Turism • Infrastructures The GRA or (A90) is a free highway, which circles Rome annularly as a closed circular path without interruption. Eponymous unofficial engineer Eugenio Gra, not only the leading creator and supporter of the construction but also the general manager of ANAS at the time of realization. The “GRA” acronym was studied ad hoc to keep the corrispondence to the name of the engineer. The structure and the historical context in which the GRA was planned has been studied in order to understand it’s role in the city.
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1.5 Rome 1.5.3 Clichè and stereotypes
Cliché and stereotypes in Italy and overseas regarding Rome, which will be implemented through the interviews to be realized.
Symbols • Capitoline Wolf • Colosseum • Vatican • S.P.Q.R • the Legend of Romolo and Remo
Historical Buildings • Colosseum • Pantheon • Imperial Forum; • Trevi’s fountain • The mouth of truth;
Italian Cuisine Personalities • politicians • the Pope
Films • La Dolce Vita
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1.5 Rome 1.5.4 Interviewing foreigners, Italians and citizens of Rome
Interviewing foreigners, Italians and citizens of Rome (to reveal what the others say about it):
Exclusively for citizens of Rome: What are the problems of Rome?
How would you describe Rome in three words? In your opinion, what are the virtues of the city? What do you like/dislike about Rome? What are the first things you think of if I say ‘Rome’? What do you think about Rome?
What kind of relation does Rome have with Vatican City? Do you think citizens of Rome are interested in the external image of the city? Which symbols do you relate to Rome? What do you relate to “home” when thinking about Rome? Do you think Rome is ready to host Olympic games?
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2.1 Links
• http://www.olympic.org
• http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giochi_olimpici
• http://www.underconsideration.com
• http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandiera_olimpica
• https://readymag.com/shuffle/olympic-logos/info/
• http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiamma_olimpica
• http://www.internazionale.it/portfolio/carevecchie-olimpiadi/
• http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_de_Coubertin
• http://graphicambient.com
• https://www.comune.roma.it/wps/portal
• http://drugoi.livejournal.com
• http://archeoroma.beniculturali.it
• http://www.nanjing2014.org
• http://www.pantheonroma.com
• http://www.rio2016.org.br/en
• http://www.inarea.com/work/work-213.html
• http://www.ol22.no/en/
• http://www.romasegreta.it/roma-nel-cinema.html
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com
• http://www.turismoroma.it
• http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simboli_olimpici
• http://www.urbisromae.it/a90-grande-raccordo-anulare
• http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giochi_della_XVIIOlimpiade#Medagliere
• http://www.romaeur.it
• http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/olimpiadi-estiveroma-1960
• http://www.vaticanstate.val
• http://www.roma1960.it
• http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupa_capitolina
• http://www.coni.it
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