There hasn’t been a lot of love for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics’ logo, which was officially unveiled by the event’s Organising Committee at the tail-end of July. Almost immediately after getting their first eyeful of it, many in Japan called it unappealing and confusing, and just a few days later some were calling it plagiarized.
In other words, not too many people were looking forward to seeing the emblem plastered all over the city during the Games, as well as the years leading up to them. The good news for the logo’s detractors is that they probably won’t have to, as the organizers of the Tokyo Olympics seem ready to officially withdraw the design for their promotion.
Graphic designer Kenjiro Sano submitted the embattled design, and given his previous work with such high-profile clients as automaker Toyota and cellphone service provider au, most people expected an original, attractive work from the experienced designer. Almost immediately, though, the local reaction was cool to the heavily stylized T (meant to stand for “Tokyo, Team, Tomorrow”) that the Organising Committee had chosen, which is decidedly cold and stiff compared to the circle of cherry blossoms in the colors of the Olympic rings that had been used to promote Tokyo’s prior status as a mere candidate to host the 2020 games.
A subsequent allegation of plagiarism from French designer Oliver Debie, citing similarities between Sano’s design and Debie’s for a Belgian theater, didn’t help the situation, and even trying to imagine Sano’s logo as a cute bird hasn’t been enough to sway significant public support towards it. Add in accusations that other designs Sano presented to the Organising Committee as examples of his previous work were actually lifted from the Internet, and it looks as though the 2020 Olympics is ready to cut ties with him. NHK reports that the 2020 Olympics’ “Organising Committee has solidified its course of not using Sato’s design.”
Thankfully, there are still five years to go until the games open, and several other artists seem eager to offer their alternative logos. Still, with the Games now facing the possibility of having to make up for false starts for both their logo and stadium, it’s going to take a Herculean effort for the 2020 Olympics to get everything ready in time.
Source: NHK via Jin
Top image: The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (1, 2) (edited by RocketNews24)