Cold with a Chance of Snow Crystals

Three years after it was selected as the host city of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and five years before it becomes the center of global attention, the city of Sochi, Russia unveiled the identity for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, created by the Moscow office of Interbrand — who, I’m told, in the Olympic spirit brought in five designers from Interbrand offices around the world to work on the identity.

‘sochi2014.ru’ is the first Olympic emblem that also forms a web address, creating a ‘digital’ Games logo. It has been designed to actively encourage dialogue between Russians, nations and winter sports fans — particularly youth — facilitated by Sochi 2014’s online platforms.

The ‘.ru’ component is Russia’s web-domain address and signifies that Sochi 2014 is an Olympic Winter Games hosted by a whole nation, as well as the Black Sea sub-tropical city of Sochi. The introduction of a 21st Century emblem for a digital generation reflects how the 2014 Olympic Winter Games will be accessed through PC screens, PDAs, mobile phones, televisions and other devices, in line with ever-improving internet reach, increased bandwidth and the adoption of new technologies. This can help young people to experience sport for the first time, with a view to active participation and long-term engagement with sport and Olympism.

As a key component of the new Sochi 2014 emblem, the Olympic rings sit large and in colour to leave no doubt that this is a symbol of progress for the Olympic Movement. The opportunity to change the colours and inner-design of the rest of the emblem encourages people to express themselves, with some anticipated to transform it using traditional images, while others will take an ultra-modern approach. The mirror of ‘Sochi’ and ‘2014’ reflects that Sochi is the meeting point between the sea and the mountains.
Behind the Brand

If all the above sounds familiar, it’s because of its similarity to the theory behind the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games of a logo that can be owned by all, seen on every conceivable surface that flickers, and aimed at the young folks. Which is all fine but there is something just not exciting at all about this new identity. The addition of the Russian top-level domain, .ru, is actually very interesting and daring, not so much for Interbrand but for the International Olympic Committee, as it is indeed a first in Olympic identity design, and for an organization that puts such a stronghold on its identities, it is quite commendable that they allowed a new verbal and visual element be added. Let’s just hope it doesn’t start a trend, otherwise be ready for Rio2016.br.

It’s kind of strange to see an Olympic identity without some sort of icon, especially for a Winter edition, where snowflakes are the norm. As a wordmark, Sochi2014 isn’t exactly, well, Olympic. It doesn’t feel dynamic or exciting. It is nicely done and I like the mirror of effect of “hi / 14” but in an effort to keep things aligned, the “2” is too condensed and if mirroring was the idea, it looks disconnected from the “s” above it. The outlined “.ru” is downright ugly unfortunately and dilutes the idea of the domain becoming part of the name. As I understand it, the “sochi2014” wordmark can contain different images within it, again, not too different from what the London 2012 identity proposes. But no applications on that have been released.

Stills from brand presentation video.

The secondary design element of the identity are the “Snow Crystals” which are sprinkled like visual fairy dust on everything. The crystals are nice and create a pretty texture but after one, two and one hundred applications it will get very boring. This is where an expandable palette of elements like the one developed for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games comes handy. Overall, the Sochi 2014 identity is radical in premise but in execution it’s as safe as it gets.

All images from Sochi 2014 Winter Games’ Flickr.

Thanks to Alexandr Zalutskiy for the tip.

Gordon’s comment is:

Sorry, but that wordmark is weak and looks like it was done in the 90’s.

Actually, it also looks like they stole Lillehammer’s illustrations as supportive elements.
http://www.theolympicdesign.com/deu/olympic-look/my-experiences-in…/lillehammer-1994/

Not a fan, at all.

On Dec.02.2009 at 07:37 AM

Dimon’s comment is:

???, ??????? ??? ????? ??????? ?????-?? ?????!
??? ?? “???? ????”
? ?????? ??? URL? ??? ?? ?? ????????-?????????

On Dec.02.2009 at 07:38 AM

Prescott Perez-Fox’s comment is:

I think it fits. It’s sharp, simple, distinct, and Russian in its colouring.

We all have to remember that we’re working in a post-London 2012 era regarding the Olympics. Perhaps it’s best to err on the side of reasonable and conservative and risk being called “90s”.

On Dec.02.2009 at 07:47 AM

Pamela’s comment is:

Regarding “Snow Crystals”

It’s interesting. And it looks alright in application. Possibly, as stated above, it will get boring fast. Maybe they don’t need to use the element so densely…like on the jacket…it looks absolutely terrible on that winter jacket!

On Dec.02.2009 at 08:00 AM

Swifty’s comment is:

The biggest flaw in the logo is that I read the web address as “sochi.ru.”

By itself, the logo is bland and uninspired. But I do find that the snow crystals add a necessary element of excitement to the identity.

It’s a shame this logo wasn’t chosen:
http://www.idsgn.org/posts/rumor-mill-2014-olympic-games-logo-revealed/

On Dec.02.2009 at 08:05 AM

Miriam Martincic’s comment is:

I agree that the the 2 is unfortunately condensed, that the outlined .ru is dreadful, and that the secondary snow crystal design element is going to get tired pretty quickly. Better than London, but that’s not a high bar.

On Dec.02.2009 at 08:05 AM

Harper’s comment is:

I hate to say this but it has a bit of a soviet feel. I don’t think that’s the kind of image that Russia wants to be sending out. The snow crystals will have to be very carefully handled. On the jacket, the whole thing looks like an apron.

On Dec.02.2009 at 08:08 AM

buruno’s comment is:

As a whole, the identity looks ok, but the typography, as Gordon said, is weak and slightly outdated. Plus, the “2014” could easily pass as “zoiy” to me.

(I personally don’t believe that the London-2012-thing will set a trend, regarding the Olympics. It “worked” because it’s London and Wolff Ollins)

On Dec.02.2009 at 08:15 AM

David B.’s comment is:

The “C” seems a bit too narrow—my eye keeps going to the gap. This would have been a stronger id w/o the “.ru” Though it all looks a little better in mockups than the plain logo.

On Dec.02.2009 at 08:46 AM

Rodrok’s comment is:

I understand internet is very important in our daily lives, but putting [.RU] as part of the logo honestly looks like an internet olympic event.

Don’t agree at all with that approach.

The illustrations look really nice and open for a playful use, specially on the environmental graphics.

typography… not to exciting…

wish it had some type of icon along with the type…

overall grade…. 5.2135 out of 10

On Dec.02.2009 at 08:57 AM

Manolis Gerasidis’s comment is:

This is how the logo should be:

(From LogoDesignLove http://www.logodesignlove.com/sochi-2014-olympic-logo)

On Dec.02.2009 at 09:01 AM

Karl’s comment is:

I like what Transformer Studio out of Russia did much better. More heart, better story.

see it here:

http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Sochi-2014-Winter-Olympics-Official-Logo-Bid/355269

On Dec.02.2009 at 09:10 AM

Futureman’s comment is:

Futureman: Remember the Russian winter olympics logo?

Average Joe: Uhm…Uh-uh.

Futureman: The one with the dot-r-u extension?

Average Joe: Oh! That one? That was their logo?! I thought it was their website?

Futureman: Yeah, the INTERNET was all the rage back then so they thought it would be really cool to have a U-R-L instead of a L-O-G-O. Classy eh?

Average Joe: More like short-sighted. Why didn’t they just put the URL beneath the logo?

Futureman: Cuz they didn’t have one.

Average Joe: No symbol to identify themselves forevermore in the minds of every human being in the world? No symbol to embody the Olympic spirit? No symbol to represent the world’s finest athletes coming together as one to showcase the pinacle of human mental and physical acheivement? No symbol that reflects the noblest desires of the human spirit?

Futureman: No. But they did have an ice crystal triangle motif.

Average Joe: So, what was stamped on all their memorabilia and apparel and stuff?

Futureman: The URL.

Average Joe: Lame. Probably got a few million HITS on their WEBSITE though.

Futureman: Billions. Their PAGE VIEWS were awesome. They even had an iPHONE APP but they only sold a few hundred items in their ONLINE store.

Average Joe: Well that’s a few hundred more than London sold.

On Dec.02.2009 at 09:15 AM

obse.’s comment is:

I read sochi.ru2014ooooo

On Dec.02.2009 at 10:08 AM

omg’s comment is:

@Karl

WOW!… Transformer Studio’s design blows away any design identity I’ve seen recently. Absolutely brilliant!

On Dec.02.2009 at 10:09 AM

NatalieB’s comment is:

Awful. I couldn’t even read the “2014” until you explained it to me and the URL (that doesn’t look like a URL) reads “sochi.ru”. The Olympic rings look like an afterthought, being overwhelmed by this monstrous ugly typeface. Weak.

On Dec.02.2009 at 10:20 AM

MSGDS’s comment is:

Very disappointing. Olympic games are about excitement, fun, and competition, but this logo shows none of that. And, I’m sorry, but I’m not reading “sochi 2014”, to me it reads “sochi zoiy”. Get rid of the “.ru” - what’s it doing there being part of the logo? Unless these are Online Olympic Games? The only thing that I like about this logo is the mirroring idea, but it’s not fully resolved.

I agree, Transformer Studio would have been an excellent solution:

http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Sochi-2014-Winter-Olympics-Official-Logo-Bid/355269

On Dec.02.2009 at 10:35 AM

Philadelphia birth injury lawyer’s comment is:

Not a big fan of the logo, and the transformer logo is way better. No doubt about it, but it’s better than London’s.

On Dec.02.2009 at 10:40 AM

Neil’s comment is:

I’m not the biggest fan of the London 2012 logo but lets be honest here it blows this weak effort out of the water.

Boring/poor type, confusing to read, letterforms that have been bodged together just so some of them mirror each other and the ice crystals are terrible and, as Armin states, get boring and repetitive very quickly on the applications. Would ANYONE be seen dead in that jacket?!

At least the London logo even if it proves too date badly by the time 2012 comes round was of it’s time when it was designed this is at least a decade out from the off.

The one plus point I can give it is that the numerals that count down on the cheesy vid look quite nice - although with a very obvious ‘Soviet’ feel to them.

On Dec.02.2009 at 10:54 AM

Matt2’s comment is:

sochi.ru does in fact redirect to the Sochi 2014 site, so no problem there.

I really, really, really like the wordmark. Maybe this is just personal preference — opinions seem pretty split here — but the connection between city and year couldn’t have been done better. Typically at venues the wordmark appears by itself without any sort of embellishment. It’s going to work great in such applications, much better than “gee, let’s just use Myriad”.

I don’t think it’s a big deal there’s no “icon” other than the type. Do we really need a snowflake nowadays? Aren’t the Olympic rings and the year enough? Haven’t we established by now that blue and 2 modulo 4 years = winter?

On Dec.02.2009 at 11:00 AM

Matt2’s comment is:

It does reminds me somewhat of the Price is Right logo, however.

On Dec.02.2009 at 11:05 AM

BlueEyedPeas’s comment is:

It’s an attempt at type, and it’s pretty good at that, but while a corporate brand can rely on clear cut (or even clever) type, an Olympic logo/ brand cannot. The Olympics are all about symbols, fun, competition, etc., it’s a game for crying out loud, not a russian branch for IBM or Intel.

I do like the crystals, but overall this is bitterly underwhelming.

On Dec.02.2009 at 11:18 AM

Rico’s comment is:

I too really enjoyed the “flame/leaf” design done by Transformer. I really thought that was a beautiful and memorable solution. This one however is just, well, boring. Maybe it will grow on me, but I just don’t see much to hang your hat on visually.

On Dec.02.2009 at 11:43 AM

Randy Hill’s comment is:

Yes, the Transformer Studio logo is a lot more along the lines of what this logo should have looked like. I like the reflection effect, but that’s about all. Other than that, it’s just a mish-mash of lettering and the additional Olympic rings. I really don’t like the ice crystal art.

On Dec.02.2009 at 11:50 AM

EMD’s comment is:

Why do I read this as Sochi Zoly?

On Dec.02.2009 at 12:05 PM

Mojo’s comment is:

Terrible. The 2014 looks like zoiy.

On Dec.02.2009 at 12:40 PM

Alex P.’s comment is:

I like it. It’s literate, daring, and distinctly Russian. In my opinion, this ID is right up there with the Mexico City ‘68 games.

On Dec.02.2009 at 12:49 PM

Brendan’s comment is:

I like it. It looks Russian, and the mark looks very well thought out. And to encapsulate the fact that Sochi is mountains by the sea? Bonus.

But then again, I like the London 2012 logo too, so don’t trust me.

I could have done without the .ru though, although it could be argued that it’s also an abbreviated way of saying that Sochi is in Russia. My biggest criticism is that the rings look overpowered.

On Dec.02.2009 at 01:55 PM

Iulian’s comment is:

I would like to know how this is Russian. “Coloured in a Russian way”, the overall feel is “distinctly Russian”. Sounds like this is a case of stereotypes & a bit of ignorance.

If it’s thick, bland and cold/blue, it’s automatically Russian? Is the .ru version in any way more appropriate than the one created by Transformer? The one Transformer did lost because it wasn’t Russian enough?

Anyway, if they felt solid & lifeless best describes them, so be it. It looks more like a case where the creative minds brought in on the projects were overpowered by the local Commitee.

On Dec.02.2009 at 02:01 PM

Eli Morris-Heft’s comment is:

Okay, so, I’m a total techy and this is just a bad idea. Not to mention an ugly logo.

Also, if I had a large sum of money, I’d pay a large sum of money to the first graphic design agency that admits “we chose this logo because we think it’s pretty” instead of all this crap about targeting young people and mountains and seas and dynamism and stuff.

On Dec.02.2009 at 02:27 PM

Brendan’s comment is:

@lulian -

To me, the Suprematism and Constructivism movements are ‘Russian’ to me, as are the propaganda posters and general sense of style that the Soviets adopted from that movement. When I look at the forms, I see simple geometrics that invoke the works of Malevich.

So I wouldn’t call it stereotypical at all.

On Dec.02.2009 at 02:28 PM

Kirstin’s comment is:

I’m a huge olympic fan & I wish I hadn’t clicked on the link to the Transformer submission because now i’m going to have to sit there for two weeks wishing I was looking at their logo instead… sigh.

the concept behind this is so weak compared to the Transformer identity. youth and the internet? since when were the olympics more about youth and the internet than culture and unity?

On Dec.02.2009 at 02:43 PM

herrimanjoe’s comment is:

@Karl Thanks for posting that link to the transformers studio design. I hadn’t seen it that in depth. The image with “Winter Flavours” is so great. One line stood out in their well done brief:

“The goal was to scatter the myth about the image of Russia as cold and unfriendly country.”

Totally opposite of the logo that was chosen. The “zoiy” logo comes off as totally cold compared to the lively Transformers execution.

On Dec.02.2009 at 02:49 PM

Roger Binion’s comment is:

To all of you commenting that sochi.ru doesn’t look like a URL:

Have you never seen a national/government web address before? There is more to the internet than .com and .org.

.ru is the national address for Russia.

So, yes, Sochi.ru is definitely a URL. Type it into your browser and watch what wonderful and magic things happen.

I suppose they could have written it out as http://sochi.ru/home.java.do?html.blah.blah.blah. Would that be a URL for you?

On Dec.02.2009 at 02:52 PM

Brendan’s comment is:

Well, did the two-letter country codes exist before the Internet? If they did, then you could make the argument that it’s just utilizing an abbreviation that also doubles as a URL. The IOC uses abbreviations throughout the Olympics (though they use 3-letter codes).

Although, when it says right out in the press release that it’s the first logo to include the web address, then that doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room!

On Dec.02.2009 at 03:14 PM

Josh’s comment is:

Close up, the outlined “.ru” looks a little silly, but it works really well at scale and from a distance. Glancing at the car and the building, it falls away and leaves the sochi 2014 mark, which is kinda interesting. I don’t mind this as much as everyone else seems to.

On Dec.02.2009 at 03:14 PM

Sebastian’s comment is:

Sorry for the lack of objectivity. But to me this looks like a supermarket store brand.

On Dec.02.2009 at 03:39 PM

Keenan’s comment is:

Man. The .ru top level domain… really!?!? Of all top level domains out there, .ru is the lowest of the low, just beneath .biz. You would think that would have come up in early conversations. I understand the idea of pushing into the digital realm, but the Olympics give the host country a chance to present itself to the rest of the world, and the cognitive connection to pirated music and mail-order brides just doesn’t feel olympic.

On Dec.02.2009 at 03:44 PM

Santiago Rodriguez’s comment is:

Hey!

Well i don’t know if this was said, but am i the only one who thinks that “2014” reads like an actual word and not a number? everytime i see this i’m trying to read “Sochi Zoly”?

Yeah well i just read and I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE! transfromer’s is way much better!

i hope they don’t go for this one.

Cheers, Mates!

Santiago

On Dec.02.2009 at 03:50 PM

gus’s comment is:

1 word

FAIL

back to the whiteboard

On Dec.02.2009 at 04:06 PM

Trevor Woods’s comment is:

I don’t know if it’s been said ( I may have missed it ) but people should know that

ADDING THE DOT WHATEVER TO COMPANY NAMES AND LOGOS IS REALLY REALLY TRENDY IN EUROPE.

To them, it makes sense.. because, it’s trendy.

check this out :

http://coreupt.com/

french ski company.
The name of the company isn’t “coreupt”, it’s “coreupt.com” and their tagline is “web ski company”

REALLY lame, REALLY REALLY tacky if you ask me. I think this is definitely a fail. The only thing I like is the “HI / 14” thing. but that doesn’t mean it’s not ugly.

On Dec.02.2009 at 04:31 PM

Christian van Orten’s comment is:

OK, it’s also not my favourite blue ;-) , but …

Transformer Studio’s design is OK. But it’s something we’ve seen several times for Olympia:
olympic colours all over, (firefox-)flames circle, … Nothing new, in my opinion.

On the other hand, the “Sochi 2014” logo is using a strong word mark. The typography plays with reflection, mountain/sea, up/down. “Think different”, that’s why I personally like it. It looks friendly and open.

And as we know:
Branding doesn’t only mean being pretty. It’s about being remarkable!
So, well done.

On Dec.02.2009 at 05:06 PM

Daniel’s comment is:

wow. is it getting a lot harsher on here lately. I didn’t struggle at all to read it, some people here seem a bit sensitive to anything a little challenging. I knew that the 2014 games were in 2014 so it’s an easy connection.

I think it looks a little dated in isolation, but in application i think it works quite well. I’ve seen great work coming out of Russia lately, this doesn’t quite fall into that camp but it’s not that bad.

On Dec.02.2009 at 05:07 PM

Scooby Don't’s comment is:

I’m not a huge fan of the way they recycled the name of the town (Sochi) and created the 2014. That’s trying a bit too hard, imho

S = 2

O = 0 (zero)

I = 1

H = 4

On Dec.02.2009 at 06:30 PM

JD’s comment is:

I like the idea of the .ru, but I don’t think it’s appropriate. The execution of this logo is not the best either, the transformer logo really had some great conceptual ideas behind it and hit the nail on the head for what Sochi is about. The wordmark is OK, but everything is reflective now a days, so it’s really not that original. It’s refreshing to see such a conservative committee go for the .url idea even if it is a badly executed one.

On Dec.02.2009 at 07:37 PM

Glenn Sakamoto’s comment is:

I like it.

On Dec.02.2009 at 08:14 PM

g-sppud’s comment is:

I do have to say that, for all it’s shortcomings, this is still a gigantic improvement on the hideous monstrosity of a “logo” that the world will have to endure in 2012. A million times better.

On Dec.02.2009 at 09:54 PM

John Mindiola III’s comment is:

Is it okay that I LOVE this logo? Has reflection been done? Yes. Numbers as letters? Yes. Of course. I love that the logo is a grid unto itself. Place IT in another grid layout? Sexy.

On Dec.02.2009 at 10:38 PM

grfk_dzgn’s comment is:

Two for the price of one…

…sans serif and sans personality.

On Dec.02.2009 at 11:44 PM

r4i’s comment is:

Wow the city Sochi or Russia is so beautiful to host the games in 2014. The pics and the scenery are just too awesome. I really like the designs of the Sochi, light blue crystals.

On Dec.03.2009 at 12:27 AM

soully’s comment is:

So someone noticed that Sochi kinda looks like 2014 upside down if you sorta squint a bit, lose the C and use an ugly typeface…ish, except the letters are the wrong way round… Screw it, deadline’s here that’ll have to do.

The Transformer Studio design is lovely, well thought through and I could see a lot of interesting applications coming from it. Unlike the snow crystals motif that was chosen. Shame.

On Dec.03.2009 at 03:14 AM

soully’s comment is:

Also re: the 2012 Olympic brand, as much as I still find it pretty ugly, I think it is a better solution than has been chosen here in that it was attempting to push some kind of boundaries and the various applications for use it presented were more interesting than anything seen above.

On Dec.03.2009 at 03:20 AM

islandtimes’s comment is:

The blue triangles remind me of Doritos, esp when it’s on the helmet and jersey

On Dec.03.2009 at 03:22 AM

Goffredo Puccetti’s comment is:

Because of London 2012… this is not the worst Olympic logo ever!

G.

On Dec.03.2009 at 03:37 AM

Ralphie Milne’s comment is:

I dont think it’s only going to be the snow crystals pattern…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38188263@N07/4150122836/

On Dec.03.2009 at 03:40 AM

Kelly ’s comment is:

I agree that Transformer Studio’s concept is more dynamic and appealing, but then I remember that they didn’t have a committee of clients to answer to like Interbrand did. I would love to see Interbrand’s first few rounds of concepts.

On Dec.03.2009 at 04:11 AM

Roth’s comment is:

I don’t really know what most of you are complaining about. Are you telling me that you can’t figure out it says 2014? It’ll be a huge branding exercise, so it’s not a one shot deal. Are we really being so obtuse just so we have something to say? Give the logo its context and it’s a good logo. It doesn’t have any major technical flaws. The outlined ru may be hedging its bets a little i think it’s an effective multi purpose logo. They may have just started something here.

On Dec.03.2009 at 05:43 AM

steve’s comment is:

I don’t know how these things get approved, I admire how people can sell something and push it through.

This logo has a major flaw—it reads sochi.ru—they should move the rings above the .ru

On Dec.03.2009 at 07:30 AM

Brendan’s comment is:

But sochi.ru takes you to the right place, so that’s not a big deal. (Otherwise, that would have been really bad)

On Dec.03.2009 at 07:54 AM

soully’s comment is:

@trevor Europe is a very big place to make any kinds of generalisations about ;)

On Dec.03.2009 at 09:46 AM

marcos bendrao’s comment is:

like the snowy cristals. the logo is awful!!!

On Dec.03.2009 at 11:08 AM

madison car accident lawyer’s comment is:

I think that it works. Also a step back to not over logoing the Olympics. They have a logo, the only information that needs to change is year and location. I’d almost be ok with a standard format and just replacing the information every four years.

On Dec.03.2009 at 11:37 AM

Robin’s comment is:

Remember the 2008 games? I miss Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini.

On Dec.03.2009 at 02:01 PM

Igor’s comment is:

It’s awful. But who am I to judge as I still think London 2012 has the best olympic logo and identity of all times.

On Dec.03.2009 at 02:27 PM

Mark’s comment is:

It’s okay nothing spectacular but nothing embarrassing.

It’s so-so.

On Dec.03.2009 at 02:38 PM

Tayfun Ozturkmen’s comment is:

Very weak typo.

I read “zoiy” as well. Snow flakes look cheap or something like a bad premier league jersey from the early 90s.

On Dec.03.2009 at 11:27 PM

Jack’s comment is:

The logo is unmistakably Russian. The retro 80s Soviet feel fits the bill perfectly. In contrast the London 2012 logo embodies nothing that would remind me of London.

On Dec.04.2009 at 12:09 AM

Mikhail’s comment is:

this logo is our national shame, it has no identity, no image behind it,
there aren’t a single reference to Russia, winter sports or Sochi. And .ru should mean the 2014 Olympics will take place on the Internet?

On Dec.04.2009 at 03:48 AM

Jose’s comment is:

Fantastic is .perfecto beats the transformer porposal looks generic and predictable. :s

On Dec.04.2009 at 07:12 AM

Kris’s comment is:

The light blue triangles keep reminding me of the ‘design’ of very cheap confection training gear and other plastic raincoats we saw around in the 80’s. Remarkably ugly.
I thought I’ld never be confronted with that lack of inspiration ever again.

On Dec.04.2009 at 10:19 AM

Trevor Woods’s comment is:

@soully

haha, yes I know. I think what would be more proper to say is that people don’t do the .whatever in the americas very often, unless it’s purely a web company.

However, I have noticed this trend in the sports world, especially the winter sports world, and only in Europe. all sorts of movie production companies, events, organizational groups and even clubs have added on this .whatever to the name, and I don’t understand why. I just figure there must be something trendy about it I’m missing. Perhaps you have some insight?

On Dec.04.2009 at 05:57 PM

Andrey fron Russia’s comment is:

I think Putin likes this logo!
But we don’t! This is not logo, It’s only web-adress and terrible snow-flakes. Bid-logo is much better.
And London rocks!

On Dec.05.2009 at 02:13 PM

Robert L. Peters’s comment is:

Unbelievably inadequate.

Definitely the winner in a “race to the bottom” as regards identity design in the history of the Olympic Games. I hate to say it, but this is a very, very sad day for our profession…

:-|

On Dec.05.2009 at 10:45 PM

Jess Hindmarsh’s comment is:

Terrible! i’m disgusted that they could overlook talent. And i shall repeat what everyone else has been saying:

http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Sochi-2014-Winter-Olympics-Official-Logo-Bid/355269

On Dec.06.2009 at 07:14 PM

Ryan’s comment is:

Worse than being offensive, this work is just shrug-inducing. And it turns to mush at a distance.

The problem with Transformer’s work (and maybe the reason people are drawn to it) is that it looks like a familiar Olympic logo. As in, nothing new to see here, move along. That’s probably comforting to some, but it doesn’t differentiate Sochi in any way.

On Dec.07.2009 at 09:48 AM

Ivan Tolmachev’s comment is:

Hi. I am originally from Moscow and it just seems that this logo is extremely bad and weak. There is no thinking behind it, the “.ru” part is silly, the “2014” is written with letters.

I think that the candidate city logo was much better, even though it wasn’t smooth at all.

On Dec.07.2009 at 10:00 AM

NicKLAUS’s comment is:

This logo looks so unfinished is uncomfortable to look at. I feel like there should be more. This has the stench of a rushed “we have no inspiration” attitude and not something I would expect for an event as grandiose as the Olympic Games. I see some references to the stereotypical Russian-like typography with these type-choices, but that’s about where I see relevance ending.

Those snow crystals are really something else. They look great on the helmet and the car, but that jacket, holy crap the jacket is awful!

I’m usually a huge fan of Olympic logos as they’re for the most part, executed very well.. but this logo, needs to be executed all together. I’d send it to the gallows if I had any say in the matter.

YEAH VANCOUVER 2010!!

On Dec.07.2009 at 01:44 PM

David’s comment is:

It’s dull. Flat. Boring. Nothing dynamic or exciting. And the .ru is way too odd.

On Dec.07.2009 at 09:14 PM

Jarek’s comment is:

Being born in an Eastern Block country I personally love it. It reflects that Russian aesthetic of strength, industry, a stern steely gaze and a bushy mustache. It breaks the predictable “pretty” trend that we’ve seen for Olympic logos ( with the exception of London 2012 ) in recent years. Slap it on a t-shirt ( sans Doritos ) in all it’s beautiful simplicity and dammit, I’ll wear it!

On Dec.08.2009 at 09:35 AM

Alexander’s comment is:

Nobody likes it here in Russia too… ) Transformer’s logo is much better.

But you know, all the decision makers, those who accepted this logo, were born in USSR, so it is natural that we have such an ugly logo. And .ru - is a step towards Europe, you know like:
- We need to show that we have internet, its “cool” and modern…

On Dec.08.2009 at 06:49 PM

Chicago Fence’s comment is:

Not the best i’ve seen.

On Dec.08.2009 at 09:44 PM

Sandra’s comment is:

Why all of you so do not despise all Soviet??? And and here it in general?? If Russia - at once recollect the USSR. This new young state Russia, and the USSR for a long time in the past! It now the different countries. Understand??

PS I do not like a logo. They could find the new decision

On Dec.12.2009 at 08:08 AM

vKnight’s comment is:

Actually theres’s already a domain address for sochizoly.ru :) And yes, all the adequate russians consider this logo absolutely meaningless and incredibly ussr-like-ugly. But what can we do? We don’t decide on it. Now we can only shrug our shoulders )

On Dec.13.2009 at 09:24 AM

Vitaliy’s comment is:

??? ??????, ??????? ?????-?? ?????. ??????????? ?????? ??????? ?????, ? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ?????????? ????????.

Sorry for Russian, but this logo is shit.

On Dec.13.2009 at 10:17 AM

Zoiy’s comment is:

Absolute crap. Agreed with those who say 2014 looks like “zoiy”.

Look’s like an early 1990’s tech firm logo.

On Dec.13.2009 at 02:42 PM

Ragdoll’s comment is:

How terrible. I’m surprised it’s gotten so much defense so far. I can’t believe so many people like it better than the London logo, which was at least a solid design. Outlined type, weak, tinsel rings, and that type treatment! It looks like it says “SOCHI.RU ZOIY”. It’s outright failure.

The addition of the top-level domain is not at all “daring”; just stupid and poorly executed.

The logo is not “nicely done” in any way, and the mirroring is half-assed at best. Okay, the hi/14 is a nice visual, but that whole bit about reflecting “the meeting point between the sea and the mountains” screams afterthought.

On Dec.22.2009 at 03:35 PM

Shawnda Escajeda’s comment is:

Unfortunately Megan Fox won’t be in Transformers 3! But I suppose she deserved to be taken off the project for being so tyrannical.

On May.27.2010 at 09:12 AM