Our studio proudly displays London 2012 official Olympic posters by Michael Craig-Martin and Rachel Whiteread and there was speculation amongst the team on the direction of the designs for Paris 2024.
The official posters for this year's Olympics and Paralympics launched earlier this month at Musée d’Orsay. Created by Parisian artist and Art Director, Ugo Gattoni, the designs are a break from tradition and mark the direction of this year’s Olympic ambition of being a ‘Games wide open’. And we love them.
Ugo Gattoni’s, hyper vivid, joyful, yet surreal style embraces a Paris unlike any other; his illustrations go beyond the city limits, with the French Polynesian island of Tahiti acknowledged in the rhythmic waves and the surf, casting a twist on iconic Parisian structures such as the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triumphe. The picturesque city of Marseille, situated in southern France, also finds a place in Gattoni's imaginative landscape, serving as a departure point for the Olympic torch.
For Gattoni, Paris’s vision as a 'stadium city' where natural and built landscapes co-exist in intricate detail is a distinct visual move away from the more paired down, abstract designs seen in previous Olympic Games.
Both posters took a combined 2 000 hours to produce with every element individually hand drawn and although there’s a medley of Olympic sports featured in the layout, they arguably have parity, not prominence, over the visual hierarchy although nods to the core Olympic symbols including the 5 Olympic rings and motto are interspersed throughout. Ugo Gattoni has also skilfully hidden 8 mascots within the design and overall there’s a lively 'Where’s Wally/ Studio Ghibli' vibe going on.
In another break from the norm, both the Paralympic and Olympic posters have been designed by the same artist. (Tokyo 2020 and London 2012 for example saw multiple artists and designers create more than 12 designs in quite separate briefs).
When placed together, they form a diptych that seamlessly links the 2 events together visually and symbolically with a nod to the parity of the Paralympics
Why the poster hype?
Since 1912, host city’s have produced collectable posters alongside a selection of memorabilia and merchandise collectables (can you remember what London’s mascot Wenlock looked like?).
The designs are integral to the overall cultural identity and branding of the world’s largest sporting event and with Paris hosting the summer games for the first time in 100 years, it’s a fantastic opportunity to match the impressive landscape with the occasion in a style that’s welcoming, inclusive, friendly and distinctly flamboyant and French of course!
We're ordering ours in readiness for the summer!
Olympic & Paralympic poster by Ugo Gattoni | all images courtesy of Paris 2024