Passing the Torch

On this episode, Michael and Jessica talk about Olympic design and designers, from Lance Wyman (Mexico City, 1968) and Otl Aicher (Munich, 1972) to the Wolff Olins logo for the London games, the subject of widespread mockery (as well as Adrian Shaughnessy’s piece for Design Observer, The 2012 Olympics Logo Ate My Hamster).

What image will define the 2016 Rio Games: The sinuous logo?

The beach bikes at the opening ceremonies? Or Phelps face? Memory doesn’t always obey the brand guidelines, Jessica says:

You just never know what it’s going to be. It’s hard: Designers want to create an iconic memorable, image, but sometimes it’s just not anything we can really control.

Also mentioned:

• Mike Dempsey: Preposterous Posters
• The Olympics in Design History
• Video: Thomas Heatherwick cauldron lighting
• Anne Trubek, The History and Uncertain Future of Handwriting
• Is Cursive Dead?
• The Penmanship Collection from Design Observer
• North Carolina State Law 2013-71: An Act to Require the State Board of Education to Ensure Instruction in Cursive Writing and Memorization of Multiplication Tables as a Part of the Basic Education Program
• Samsung v. Apple, Brief of Amici Curiae 111 Distinguished Industrial Design Professionals and Educators
• The Guardian, NASA has a secret art studio
• Mike Monteiro
• The New York Times, Facebook Banned Gun Sales. So Why Is It Still ‘Full of Them’?
• Michael Bierut’s #firstsevenjobs

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