Pictograms - Olympics

Pictograms

/ˈpɪktəɡrɑːf/

(also pictogramˈpɪktəɡram)

Definition of pictograph in English:

noun

1A pictorial symbol for a word or phrase. Pictographs were used as the earliest known form of writing

Oti Aicher

'Thirty-four different languages are spoken in Europe alone. For this reason it was necessary for the OC in the interest of international visitors not to limit itself to verbal information, but rather to take advantage of the possibility of generally intelligible pictorial symbols.'

Previously, all symbols used of each olympic games were unique to that year. Due to the creation of Oti Aicher's pictograms, a consistent system was used for many olympic games after Munich.

 Oti Aicher produced a grid system on which he designed each of his pictograms. The grid is made up of two opposing diagonal lines and both vertical and horizontal lines. Using  a grid to design them meant that the series of symbols had consistency and thus worked as a system.

In contrast to Oti Aicher's very systematic grid system, the pictorgams designed by a New York firm for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games are a lot more fluid and free in form. 

The pictograms above do not work as well as Oti Aicher's as a system of pictograms. This is because some of them are actually very unclear as to what they represent. The cleverness of Oti Aicher's is down to the fact that they are all legible from a distance and can be easily distinguished from one another yet they work perfectly as a set of symbols. The other reason the pictograms shown above do not work as well is that the hand-rendered appearance of them make for quite abstract imagery.

Another example of pictograms are the series of symbols produced for the 2016 Olynpic games in Brazil next year. What's unique about the rio pictograms is that fir the first time the para olympic games are represented with their own series of pictograms, thus giving them their own identity.

The word pictogram comes from Greek and Latin meaning 'painted word'. The original meaning of the word was the inspiration for the Rio symbols.

It is common for each of the olympics to stylise their pictograms according to a specific purpose and thus giving the games its own unique identity relevant to the hosting count in some way.

Sydney 2000 Olympic games

The pictograms for the 2000 Sydney Olympic games were designed around the principle of using the shape of a boomerang for each of the symbols. This giving the games its own identity based on a well known symbol for the host country.

My Own Pictogram Designs based on Oti Acher's Grid

I've explored a range of different solutions for my skiing pictogram as there are a number of events within the sport. I've looked at slalom, cross country and ski jumping.

Final Resolution

I've decided to go for my slalom ski pictogram design. The design is based on the path by which the skiers take when descending down the mountain. The 'S' shape of the body is free flowing and resembles slalom skiing.

When shown to my critique group, my feedback included:

 - Applicable to all audiences interested in olympics in general as well as skiing specifically
- Legible from a distance however there is a chance that when the pictogram is made smaller, the skis and poles will be too thin.
- Strong link between sport and pictogram with the use of the 'S' shaped body