Defending London's Olympic Logo

London's 2012 Summer Olympic logo has received quite a bit of backlash, but we, as a design agency, like the new logo, shown below:

A recent New York Times article titled "There's Little to Love in 2012 Olympics logo" describes objections to the new logo. “The London 2012 logo caused such a storm at its launch in 2007, that it became an exception. Garish colors, aggressive shapes, and dodgy typography were just a few of its design crimes,” stated Alice Rawsthorn of the New York Times.

We at STARMEN disagree with the opposition to the new logo; as designers and branding experts ourselves, we understand that there is meaning behind all creative visual communication. If you watch the video below, and spend some time looking at the work the agency put behind creating the logo, you'll begin to see how it makes sense. Fast Company’s article “The Surprisingly Smart Strategy Behind London’s Infamous Olympic Branding” defends the "surprisingly smart strategy" the famed UK brand consultancy Wolff Olins used as it created London's 2012 Olympic branding campaign. But before you make your own judgments on what they did, keep in mind Wally Olins wrote the book on branding (literally). When it comes to branding, he's masterminded some of the most memorable creative campaigns in recent years. Mr. Olins is a true genius in our industry, having coined the phrase "making brands work".

What are your thoughts on this controversial logo? Decide for yourself. Click here to read the full story behind the Olympics branding on FastCoDesign.com.

If interested, check out some of these alternative logos sent to the BBC from those in the UK.