Olympic Pictograms: Miniature Masterpieces

[@FernandsLiveShowShow]

(as I tear myself away from watching it the 51st time) as always, a deeply enjoyable and informative episode just exciting my chakras with all things design - and a pleasure and honour being a cameo (!!!) on your epic show! The break down showing the similar pictograms being altered for clarity was very satisfying to watch, it just stands out when pointed out! And as for your last DIY pictogram: I wouldn't be surprised if Paris 24 sees a similar design to your nifty creation! 😆 *grabs pictogram hockey stick and smashes like button*

[@ANNA_SNAP]

this is a masterpiece of a comment :o

[@internetdumbass]

not a criticism, just trivia: animators call that "motion blur of sorts" "smears". if anyone wants to see more of them, "animation smears" is worth a google. they're one of my favourite signs of art form mastery.

[@codernakul]

Chefs Kiss

[@Atlantique59]

Yo your 102

[@KanjiMan]

you're right, totally excellent!

[@maximilianschaffler9981]

Hey thank you for making this video, im the grandson of Gerhard Joksch. Unfortunately he passed away last year, but i can tell you: He was sooo proud of those icons, he hung 4 pictures of the best icons right by the entrance. There is one story to tell about these figures: My Grandfather was tricked into signing a contract by a higher up that withdraws any rights to these illustrations, he could have sued them, but in 30 years he couldn't bring himself to sue the guy, after that a law prohibites you from sueing (idk why, but thats what he told me). Because of all that: He never got any money for those icons (other than his standard pay of the firm).

[@myca.]

That is very interesting!

[@mobina1248]

Thank you for talking about yours and your Grandfather's experiences. My condolences on your Grandfather's passing. May he rest in peace. You must be proud that you're his Grandson.

[@graphicdesignisfun]

I had no idea the pictograms we use for bathrooms come from the Tokyo 64 Olympics! That's wild. Also the pictograms for Lillehammer being based on a 4000 year old cave painting is insanely cool. Great video as always. This channel is quickly becoming my favourite graphic design channel on KZbin 🤘🤘

[@aksela6912]

Not cave paintings, but petroglyphs. They're often filled in with red paint, but that's a modern addition, done to make them more visible. Also generally not found in caves, but out in the open, often on a gently sloping flat piece of basaltic rock.

[@shortcat]

Yeah I had no idea they are so recent invention

[@user-kp2tw9oo3v]

😂

[@MedlifeCrisis]

This was really great. Loved that bit of the opening ceremony so came looking for a vid and ended up learning a load more!

[@LinusBoman]

Thanks Rohin, what a lovely compliment to get from one of the best educators on KZbin.

[@smalllairon6214]

why is the master shiller here?

[@somebonehead]

@@smalllairon6214 Bro he really is everywhere

[@nanachichi1044]

Dr. Rohin using his freetime wisely

[@mfaizsyahmi]

Now I know why Linus is being reccommended to me the past few days. My man's been watching him and signalling the algorithm god to spread it through your subs!

[@maxandmilian]

Another thing about the Barcelona 92 pictograms is that the style used, those loose strokes creating somewhat abstract figures are, most likely, a nod to Joan Miró, an important painter born in Barcelona who had passed away just 9 years before. This especially applies to the logo, which uses blue, yellow and red, colors very often used by Miró which serve to represent Spain (its hot climate, yellow and red, and the Mediterranean sea, blue)!

[@Tam_S]

Also probably used them because they’re the primary colours, and the concept itself is quite simplistic.

[@zumbie]

The designer said that the comiteé didn't like the Miró colors at first, they said those colors were kinda politically charged (colors of the catalan separatist flag I guess), but he said that they didn't even think of Miró at all until the comiteé said it. He said if anything the pictos took some inspiration from Picasso's figures in the Barcelona's Architects School, and those have no color. At the end the colors stayed as proposed.

[@BD-yl5mh]

I actually really love the Rio ones, the use of the ‘pebble’ (I’d call them guitar picks) to dynamically frame all the different poses is really cool

[@rogink]

Yeah - but the London pics were revolting. I'm offended having to see them again.

[@brice.coates]

@@rogink I thought the London ones were great. Maybe a little complex and the Rio ones were better, but they were good.

[@KitsukiiPlays]

Oh, you think they pick the guitar picks (no pun intended) due to the Rock in Rio thing?!

[@erickamaral4622]

@@KitsukiiPlays I think not

[@literallyglados]

@@rogink I honestly think they just look kinda meh

[@trstmeimadctr]

The disguised, hidden figures on the show Masquerade and in Olympic performance are part of a very old part of Japanese theater. They are called kuroko ("black clad"), and they perform very much the same function in traditional Japanese theater.

[@FernandsLiveShowShow]

Ah this is awesome to know! Great to see such rich history being kept alive with great and hilarious storytelling in Masquerade - and shown to the world with such pride via this Opening Ceremony 👏🏾

[@LlamasOnJUPITER]

sorry to be a weeb abt it but holy shit that must be where kuroko's name (from kuroko's basketball, where the main character has a superpower that basically lets him redirect his opponent's attention however is beneficial to him) comes from :o

[@MS-jx2rh]

@@LlamasOnJUPITER well the term kuroko is actually for the people in the back ground usually wearing black [kuro] tights and as if not there.

[@Dalenthas]

It's also the origin of the idea that Ninja wear all black. You're supposed to ignore the stagehands, so when one of them jumps out of the background to assassinate someone, it's a huge surprise. By the conventions of the theater, ninja were literally invisible until it was too late.

[@bananawitchcraft]

@@Dalenthas A goth, a metalhead, and a priest walk onto the set of a Japanese play. The goth says "Hey, this isn't a goth club", the metalhead says "Hey, this isn't a metal show", and then the priest says "Hey, this isn't an exorcism... So what's all the screaming about?"

[@LinusBoman]

A few words on Mexico 68 - I really love the pictogram system developed for the Mexico City Metro developed by Lance Wyman as a direct result of his Olympics identity work. It was one of the design features I noticed immediately when I visited Mexico city - it helped not only visitors navigate the city, but many people who use the transit system without being able to read can still understand where they need to go pictographically. My comment was not meant to diminish that, however, for the sports pictograms for the games, it seems like Wyman was brought in after significant work had been done already by design students at Universidad Iberoamericana, and this set in particular feels less cohesive. When I say some 'could be traced from a photo' I meant the silhouette is much more organic and truer to life than others which were drawn with a compass and a T-square in perfect flat lines and geometric arcs. There's more commentary by Olympic Design scholar, Markus Osterwalder, here: www.theolympicdesign.com/olympic-design/pictograms/mexico-1968/ - I think the legacy of these designs in Mexico city is definitely felt, as is clear from the number of comments here, and should be celebrated! But in terms of the impact on the direction that Olympic pictograms overall took through the 20th century, their role is more as an alternative approach which never took hold. Muchas gracias.

[@nyarlathotep9622]

Gracias por aclararlo UwU👍

[@nyarlathotep9622]

Great video btw

[@rosieisbored]

I can’t imagine being a designer on a project like this, sounds stressful but also so much fun! Huge props to the design teams

[@Soltice-ty2nf]

Tell me about it. I am doing this for my art class.

[@JacobGeller]

Great vid, Linus!

[@2357y1113]

Joooo, it's Jacob Geller! You also make great videos.

[@sbilldmilk]

Jacob Geller's commendation. This is how I know I'm watching a good channel

[@MariaKryvohub]

Of course someone so pretentious likes a 14 minute long video about some fucking mini pictures no one cares about)

[@ultra3806]

@@MariaKryvohub who pissed in your cereal?

[@BoomShard17]

Yo I didn't expect to see you here! I subbed to your channel. Your Kane and Lynch video was excellent!

[@hana3011]

I also really liked that they also integrated the “cultural history” aspect into the pictograms not necessarily with the designs themselves, but by placing them onto 3D traditional Japanese glass bells when the sports were being presented on TV

[@fazfaraday]

I love how geometric this year's design, especially the main logo. I think it's a reflection of Japan's cultural design(patterns). Looking back at previous identities, we have seen alot of similar design elements such as expressive brush strokes/ gradient curves etc.

[@anyu]

I had no idea the Olympics developed this style! When I was little we had a box of sign flashcards (meant for a daycare maybe?). I was really fascinated with the human representations and called them "public sign people".

[@Blancodraws]

Softball player Species: public sign people

[@diamondrel5190]

r/mrpedestrian

[@diamondrel5190]

Yes me from 9 months ago, I still do call them Mr. Pedestrian

[@myca.]

@@diamondrel5190 This is hilarious, but lmao, what?

[@nvrndingsmmr]

Man, the Japanese pictograms from the 60's were great, and the ones for Japan this year are easily my favorites out of all of the sets shown. All the brush strokes and more rough, imprecise, folksy stuff just doesn't do it for me. I much, much prefer the sharp, precise, elegant look of 2021. Great video!

[@wannabehistorian371]

The pictograms show was genius. It also encapsulated an inexplicable part of the modern Japanese essence perfectly. We’re basically the land of simplifying things to look cute, and it reminded me both of a Japanese field day and of something that could be on NHK daytime TV anywhere in the past, like, 40 years a way that is very hard to describe. Granted NHK probably edited the onscreen bits so that may be expected, but still. Edit: Huh, Japan actually invented the pictogram?! I guess it’s only natural they feel Japanese lol.

[@miimiiandco]

I quite like the pictograms in the dream events of Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. It's fun seeing the pictogram take on the wacky sports.

[@PhilEdwardsInc]

wow that demo you did shows just how tricky a job they have. craziness.

[@columbus8myhw]

I was surprised by breakdancing, but the more I thought about it the more it makes sense. They already have artistic ones like gymnastics and dressage (aka horsey dancing). And breakdancing is legit hard to do - the windmill is challenging, and it's the most basic move.

[@Papersheepp]

Nah. Remove all the artistic "sports"

[@edukid1984]

@@PapersheeppOr better still, remove negative people like you so that we can watch artistic swimming, figure skating etc. in peace and be free from your whining.

[@Papersheepp]

@@edukid1984 figure skating can stay.

[@PeanutButterfly92]

Breakdancing, along with Skateboarding from this year, all I can say is welcome to the 90's, Olympics. 😁

[@edukid1984]

​@@PeanutButterfly92 The Olympics is trying to be more "urban" by including quasi-sports which began on city streets, parks and public spaces. Which, of course, rose to popularity in the 90s. 3x3 basketball is another one of these.

[@cara_carambola]

My first time seeing a pictogram for tokyo2020 I said unconsciously "wow". This is so simple and yet so beautiful, the use of negative space is amazing. Loved the video and good luck for the paris team designing break lol

[@dirtyhenri5005]

A lot of the Munich pictograms are still used to this day in Germany. You will find the archery and shooting symbols probaly in half of the shooting clubs in Germany if not more. I also recognized a lot of the other pictograms, even though I was born 26 years after the munich olympics.

[@FunBoysGaming]

The football pictogram is literally everywhere

[@colinmeneghini1390]

I can’t get enough of this channel recently. The thoroughness, nerdiness of your research visually displayed in your presentations puts a smile on my face. The way you dive into the particulars of typography, pictograms, and all-around studies of graphic design coupled with your relevant reference photos keep me coming back. It stimulates my brain and can’t wait to see more.

[@chrismartin509]

One small error, the Sydney 2000 Olympics pictograms weren't based on boomerangs, they were inspired by indigenous cave paintings that have existed for thousands of years, I can see why one would get confused tho

[@LovethisNation]

Those animations from Tokyo are just incredibly well done and revolutionary

[@ryandecastro4644]

I was just wondering about those animated pictograms when watching the olympics the other day. So glad you made a video on it mate! Great work as always

[@Yolwoocle]

I love the identity that every Olympics has had. Barcelona and Rio where especially outstanding. Great video and really interesting.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

The sailing in the 2020 was such an improvement over past ones and it looks great especially as it was able to have a depth to it.

[@IanZainea1990]

The animations of the pictograms for the bumpers in the olypmics were fantastic. The horse ones stood out, as they were very dynamic. Very cool.

[@SJursa-ey4tt]

2024 and here we are...

[@winnerwinnerporkbellydinner]

Whilst the Modern Pentathlon had previously been depicted with a horse and 5 shapes arranged in a grid, the Sydney 2000 pictogram used the Southern Cross to depict the 5 sports, which I find quite cool

[@TusharSundarka]

I was anticipating this video!!

[@franciscofarias6385]

One of the best channels I've stumbled upon in a long time! Criminally underrated

[@algc19]

Barcelona 92 also linked their pictograms with culture (namely, with the style of Miro and similar artists)

[@DorifutoRabbit]

I do love the Tokyo pictograms, especially with the animation. I do like your design that captures the same style too, nice work

[@BenTBrown]

Dude what a fun video. I've always found design interesting from a hobbyists perspective and the vocabulary and clarity you use makes it all so easy to understand and follow along with. Well done.

[@sarahellis7429]

Your channel is the exact kind of design content I want to see more of on KZbin! Super interesting and fun but as a graphic designer I still learned a lot and really enjoyed all the visuals. Great video!

[@mtGreenDaya]

As a rider I love how the Tokyo 2020 ones have a separate (and very easily recognizable) pictogram for each equestrian discipline.

[@Alexandra31T]

same!

[@farmboyjad]

"Make them visually distinct from each other. That last point becomes exponentially harder the more pictograms are added to the set" Me, currently working on building/assembling a consistent icon library for my company's primary desktop application, with the number of required, distinct icons at 600 and counting: *nods very vigorously*

[@gracewenzel]

Yes!! I’ve been looking forward to this!

[@jefuryo]

Please cover the Paris 2024 pictorgrams soon!!!

[@brianfox340]

Yes! Pictograms are so interesting, and I'm so excited to watch this video rn.

[@felixw19]

3:15 these are so iconic in Germany that the sports program of the main public broadcasting network (ARD Sportschau) used them until the mid-2000s

[@marvibun]

Coming back to this after getting used to those ugly axis symmetry ones. These had so much more style!

[@mischieffoal8689]

oh my GOD this is SO COOL AAAAAAA! Also, my fave Paralympic pictogram is the cycling one, it looks like it's in motion even as a still image

[@lightleckrereins6669]

Fun fact: the style of the mexico 68 pictograms was later used as the basis for the Mexico City subway pictograms. This was so everyone including the high percentage of iliterate people could identify the stations. Looking back at these the connection is easy to see even for those who don’t know the history.

[@dillonburnett3826]

holy cow that is the best like to dislike ratio i’ve ever seen, congrats!

[@phiripu]

You're videos are always so informative and well put together. The bit about toilet signs and the 1964 Olympics being the first mass use of pictograms was fascinating. Can't wait for the next video!

[@dr_phil_atio]

This channel is about to become huge. Love it.

[@aoterou]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention Lance Wyman as the designer of the pictograms from Mexico, I mean, he’s the most famous of the bunch, I noticed you identified him as the creative director, and designer as “unknown” …actually Lance was the designer himself, the Creative director being Pedro Ramirez Vasquez, one of the most famous Mexican architects and a pioneer of graphic design (he made a lot of very iconic pictorial logos)

[@cdrhiggins]

I always loved the 2012 Wheelchair Fencing pictogram - it makes the typical wheelchair logo look so dynamic.

[@evansmith4849]

Excellent video my friend

[@holipop]

please dont stop making these amazing videos !!

[@mongoose1804]

These videos are so awesome.

[@MrDreyven]

Thank you, designerman. Always looking forward to these insights.

[@dinospumoni5611]

"make like a figure and stick around" is a perfect pun for this video

[@marickjolivot]

I love so much the London's pictograms

[@dearHadrian]

Amazing video, somehow it made me want to watch Olympics even more. Also Im amazed at the quality as always - you prepare everything so well it feels as if a whole team makes these!

[@TheDaringPastry1313]

It was easily the most enjoyable segment of the opening. I watched it about 3 times after it was over. I really liked the type of music and timing on it they used ... It made it even better.

[@ya_boi_salami]

this was really neat, i always loved looking at the collage of all the pictograms of all the games since i was a lil kid, it's cool to learn about all that history of it. Great vid

[@KaritKtana]

Woah!! I've never seen the Lillehammer game pictograms, that's phenomenal! And this whole thing started way later than I would have guessed! Thanks so much for the content 👌👌👌

[@threaljo_]

I love this channel because the thumbnails are not a mess.

[@Anastas1786]

4:00 Yes, Munich's pictograms are _really_ neat! _Easily_ the first thing people bring up when I ask them to name the second thing they think of when they hear the phrase "1972 Summer Olympics in Munich".

[@dravreh]

Hi linus - great work!

[@John-uj7jz]

Just found your channel, I love it

[@nh19x07]

waited for a video like thes because i loved the show at the olympics where they showed the pictograms of the sports

[@swerdnagk611]

i clicked on this video thinking, ugh, there's no way these pictograms could be even remotely interesting... wow, was i wrong. every single video you make is exceptional.

[@joshlilesy]

Really loving these videos!

[@mohammadgm8463]

💙 Glad to discover both of you channels such a good quality content you guys have been sharing, thank you! and would love to see more about Qatar & Saudi Arabia sport events pictograms too

[@karlisveveris1108]

Great video! Enjoyed it very much!

[@BryanSchultzitis]

I've always loved the pictogram (even before I worked as a graphic designer professionally)

[@wintermute8315]

Nice one Linus, keep up the great work dude.

[@zwampel4269]

I saw the title and thumbnail and wasn't that interested but clicked anyway, after the first minute I was totally hooked and now after watching, I'm so happy I clicked on your video

[@joanne5871]

The way you traveled through the history of the pictograms and wove in design themes was amazing!

[@markiemannie]

Absolutely loving the ‘72 pictograms, they’re so clean!

[@zhoufang996]

Darn why doesn't this channel have millions of subscribers

[@gideonkupka4080]

this channel has grown on me so quickly. Making me realize that graphic design is definitely someones passion

[@thehootenberry210]

Im a non japanese living in japan i feel so proud of them..I remember the discussion for 2020 olympic pictograms was huge in 2018-2019.

[@tomfitzgerald4760]

Only just started getting served your videos. Phenomenal. Wish I'd found them through lockdown.

[@anirudh_iyer]

Combining sport with design, what more could I ask for 😍 Excellent stuff as usual!

[@darganx]

Being a 70s kid, in the age of Sport For All and Keep Britain Tidy (the logo and campaign still exists) who later studied Graphic Design I was always intrigued by the simplicity of the pictogram, and wondered who designed them. Surprised it was as far back as 1964, not surprised it came from Japan, one of the originators of Calligraphy.. a timeless masterstroke, like the IBM logo.

[@brunoroedel3173]

Great video! I would like to point out that in Rio 2016 the Sugar Loaf mountain shape is one of the great inspirations for the logo and visual identity. Even though it doesn't have the same historical power as Sidney's, Athens' or Beijing's, it does have a profound relation to one of the city greatest symbols. Curves are also an integral part of the iconic Copacabana Beach sidewalks design, so curves have been very central to Rio's visual identity for a long time.

[@capsey_]

Never thought that pictograms have so rich history. Great video!

[@maenad1231]

Those smoothly animated pictograms were so satisfying to look at

[@dzfz2100]

7:41 holy balls, that animation was SWEET

[@gf-iw1zw]

another great high-quality video! very interesting topic, thank you for sharing

[@Robutube1]

I love the fact that the London Olympics success delighted and surprised no one as much as us British but the associated logos, mascots and symbology... oh dear.

[@ShaudaySmith]

As someone who has slowly lost her enthusiasm for the Olympics, knowing what i know about the IOC and how terrible they treat their host country by keeping nearly all of the revenue from broadcasting and doing zero for the nations economy, i am a little sad that i missed this Tokyo opening when seeing the clips here. This was an very insightful video about a topic i had always wondered about. Well done, Linus!

[@ARDIZsq]

Honestly, Japan comes up some amazing ideas, one of which I now know is universally recognizable pictograms. Sure, there were pictograms before, but they birthed things like the good old male/female bathroom symbols. Those are probably the most useful symbol we have in society.

[@Luca6v]

Thank you founder

[@sandros7k453]

you have such a nice voice. I just clicked because i liked the segment in the olympics and now you've got yourself a new subscriber

[@kaas0462]

Most interesting thing ive seen all week!

[@lars2023]

Amazing video man! Really interesting to hear about the stories and history of these icons!

[@somebloodybrit8067]

I love the 1968 pictograms, the abstractness alongside the colour choices really work here (with the slight exception of the one for sailing)

[@JohnDoe-bs4ln]

Very interesting video as usual. Seriously you have a power, it's never boring !

[@TravisNeidert]

Watching this 3 years later...on the actual day that breaking debuts in Paris.

[@ryansutter4291]

A Rio Olympic Pictogram Guitar Pick Set would be pretty nice.... Perfectly designed for it...

[@SanFranciscoAlSur]

I could listen to 4 straight hours of this guy talking about graphic design. Great stuff!

[@Bluedragon2513]

These are like Crash Courses Definitely a gift that the future will enjoy and recreate

[@nolfy1380]

whenever i see a humman pictogram with my favorite sport on it, it makes me happy for some reason XD

[@ezra6094]

I know nothing about design but I *really* loved that segment in the opening ceremonies. This was a fantastic video that covered way more than I expected but was super interesting throughout. Subscribed!

[@000013114]

finally a graphic designer and KZbinr that actually knows what he's talking about