Valentina Vezzali of the Italian Olympic team carries her country's flag during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium. Five-time gold medal winner Vezzali is performing in her fifth Olympic Games in the women's Fencing, which starts on Saturday.

Much of the original criticism of the logo came down to two issues – the first was that Wolff Olins, which designed the mark, was unable to fully discuss its design rationale, due to media restrictions.

The second was that the real purpose of the identity wasn’t as a standalone logo, but as a brand that  had to come to life in the run-up to, and during, the Games. It was very difficult to imagine, in 2007, how this might work.

Since Wolff Olins developed the identity, it has been handed over to Futurebrand and Locog, who have been beavering away at the brand applications – from tickets to shops to Olympic venues. The aim, according to Locog, is to create a brand environment that ‘extends across every aspect of the Games, from spectator arrival into Heathrow all the way through to the colours and designs of the seats in the venues.’

So now we’ve had five years to digest the Olympics identity, what do people think of it now?

Nick Couch, managing director at Figtree, describes the identity as ‘Bright, energetic and slightly dysfunctional… It reflects London.’

Paul Bailey, partner at 1977 Design, was another who was receptive to the branding’s potential when it launched, ‘I would be lying if I said that I was a huge fan of the logo in itself, but I did think that the approach had a certain energy and potential, and so was willing to give it time to develop.

‘The fact that it was far from an obvious response appealed to me; it could so easily have used clichéd national references.’ Bailey says that having seen the different brand applications, he’s still a fan of the brand’s ‘personality and energy’.

The The The Olympic mascots
When Olympics Mascots Wenlock and Mandeville, designed by ad agency Iris, were unveiled in 2010, it’s perhaps no surprise there was a fair bit of criticism aimed at the shiny, monocular pair.

However, like the much-maligned branding, only the test of time can reveal the adaptability and fluidity of the mascots, which can be customised for different situations.

Grant Hunter, regional creative director for Asia at Iris Worldwide, says, ‘The main brief from Locog was “how do you inspire young people to get involved in sport”. We felt we had to do something for the digital age to connect with kids. The customisation is something we hadn’t heard of being done before – it’s always been an animal relating to the country. However, while Mark at Creative Review concluded that the mascots ‘have just the right balance of digital zeitgeist and cheeky playfulness about them’, comments on his article were less kind. ‘Just awful. They have about as much charm as Peter Mandelson’; ‘pretty disappointing & kinda creepy’; ‘A whole lot of nothing’ and, rather creatively, ‘Jedward for the digital age’ were among the more disparaging comments.

According to Iris, the mascots’ yellow head lights are inspired by London black cabs; Wenlock’s bangles use the Olympic rings colours and Mandeville wears a timing device to track his ‘personal best’.  Their single eye is a camera, which will ‘capture the people they meet, the places they go and the sports they try on their journey to 2012’.

The Olympic stamps

Hat-Trick Design has created four stamps for the Royal Mail which will be released on 27 July to mark the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Welcome to London stamps feature London landmarks blended with Olympic sports so, for example, the London Eye becomes the front wheel of a bicycle and the Olympic stadium is merged with a running track. 

The other two stamps show a fencer’s lunge meeting the walkway of Tower Bridge and a diver alongside Tate Modern. There are two first-class stamps in the set and two priced at £1.28, for worldwide airmail postage.

London Mayor Boris Johnson says, ‘Even fleet-footed Hermes himself would hang up his winged sandals and send his letters through Royal Mail if he saw the quality of these beautiful Olympics-themed stamps.’

The Royal Mail has previously issued a series of Olympic stamps, art directed by Studio David Hillman.

designweek.co.uk