Brand Review: Rio 2016
Although the Olympic games have concluded, there are still valuable pieces of inspiration that will live on. When most people think of the term “brand”, images of sleek smart phones and white and green coffee cups come to mind. The Olympic brand presents a unique branding challenge that is by nature ever evolving, yet must represent the core concepts of the games. Branding a city in a way that can be both universally understood and uniquely distinctive can be a monumental task. Rio de Janeiro was a host city that many people had never been to but the design firm Tátil Design did an excellent job bringing the city to life in a thoughtful and intriguing way.
Here is how they did it:
A Huge Challenge
“To represent the Passion and Transformation of a city and an entire country, and project these values to the rest of the world. A brand that must express unity. Inspire achievement and optimism. Avoid clichés and present Rio de Janeiro as the site of the largest sporting event in the world — to its very own Cariocas, and to athletes and people around the world.”
Brand Inspiration
“We designed a human brand, made of mixture of people, athletes and cultures. A brand that welcomes a hug and has an exciting way to celebrate. One way that reveals the Sugar Loaf and is living mirror of the lush nature of Rio de Janeiro and the city. A brand-carving, infinite, three-dimensional, winning textures, seen form object. Made to be experienced. An invitation and an inspiration to the river and to the world.”
Color
“The natural beauty of our landscape is embodied by the brand and its color palette. Yellow symbolizes the sun and our warm, vivacious and happy nature. Blue expresses the fluidity of the water that surrounds us, and our easygoing way of life. Green represents our forests and hope, a positive vision that inspires us to go even further.”
Shape
“Inspired by the rich landscapes of Rio and Brazil – full of the sinuous curves of mountains, rivers and lakes – the city’s best-loved icons, including Sugarloaf Mountain and Corcovado, the athletes and its people, the Brand of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games evokes unity, inspires the will and desire to work together, to share our knowledge and talents, to join forces and ambitions for a sustainable way of life that will transform the present and our future. It’s a brand that embodies unity, transformation, passion and energy. It’s a large collective network in motion, an invitation and inspiration to Rio and the world.”
The Rio Font
“Each letter expresses a characteristic of the Rio 2016 Games, its people and the city. The letters are written in single continuous strokes, with fast and fluid motions, suggesting the movements of the athletes in action. The strong contrast between thick and thin strokes was explored during the design process by putting brush to paper and writing by hand. The variety of the curves in the different letters has a unique informality, inspired by the joyfulness and warmth of the Brazilian people.”
