London 2012 Does It Again
Written by Deb Dorchak - May 20, 2010 1 Comment
When Britain unveiled their logo for the 2012 Olympic games I thought I’d seen the worst of design ever. Many people felt the same way I did. Obnoxious, unreadable, and sloppy are just a few of the words I’d use to describe it.
If you need a refresher, click here.
D’oh! They’ve Done It Again!
It’s been said that hindsight is 20/20. If so, London needs to get their eyes checked. Meet “Wenlock” and “Mandeville”, the mascots for the 2012 Olympics.
What are they, exactly? Your guess is as good as mine. Personally I find this cycloptic pair disturbing. It’s not even a case of “so ugly they’re cute”.
Yahoo! reports there’s a complex back story that explains the origins and symbolism of Wenlock and Mandeville. There’s even an animated short (see above video) that’s supposed to give more insight.
None of this helps with branding London for these events.
What Makes a Good Mascot?
Mascots are like logos; they have to represent the essence of the team or company. When you take a look at some of the best Olympic mascots, what do you see? What is the one common thread?
Ok, maybe there’s more than one thread.
First, each of the mascots are recognizable as something. Whether it’s a rabbit, a Sasquatch, or a stylized owl, they still look familiar. You can relate to them in one way or another.
(On a side note, I don’t think the Sydney or Lake Placid mascots are all that bad)
Second, each of these mascots reflect something about the culture. When you look at the Beijing mascots they’re all fanciful, and maybe we can’t figure out exactly what all of them are, but they are clearly created in a style we associate with China and the far East.
The Vancouver Olympics took their inspiration from local folklore for their three mascots, and Salt Lake City’s trio was a tip of the hat to the local Native American tribes.
Super Bad – And Not In a Good Way
The only things that the 2012 Olympics mascots and logo have in common is they’re so bad no one is going to forget them anytime soon.
I suppose you could say there’s no such thing as bad publicity. If this is the case, the London Olympics will be getting a lot of attention. I bet you can still remember the worst commercial you ever saw, or the worst product you ever bought.
True, you may not find yourself swayed into rushing out to buy that poorly advertised product, or purchase that God-awful Worst Product On The Face of the Earth again, but the point is: You remembered it.
Sometimes that’s all it takes. I wouldn’t advise it as a standard practice by any means. Please, we really don’t need anymore moments like this where we’re left scratching our heads asking, “What were they thinking?”
How about you? What was the worst mascot/logo you ever saw? How about the best?
Related posts you might also like:
Read the Comments
One Outstanding Response to "London 2012 Does It Again"
One Trackback
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Wendi Kelly and Vincent Anton, Deb Dorchak. Deb Dorchak said: London 2012 Does It Again http://goo.gl/fb/nOkSE [...]