What Are the Top Ten Olympic Logos?

A one-of-a-kind logo is created to represent each occurrence of the Olympic games, presented by the nation hosting the events. The best Olympic logos over the years not only have presented ideal design aesthetics in terms of color and balance, but have also represented such elements as modernism in games of the 20th and 21st centuries and history of the Olympics while incorporating the culture of the host nation.

  1. Athens 2004: Summer

    • For the return of the Olympics to their birthplace -- Greece -- the logo designers aptly commemorated the occasion with a depiction of the traditional prize of Olympic champions, a wreath of olives. This homage to the ancient Olympics was given a modern twist in its execution and placed against a multi-shaded, water-colored background to pay tribute to the host nation of Greece, which sits on the sea. The flag of Greece is subtly referenced with the logo's blue and white.

    Montreal 1976: Summer

    • This simple logo is iconic and eye-catching, wrought with symbolism. A modern graphical representation of an "M" for the city of Montreal, the upper portion also signifies an Olympic podium. For an accurate illustration of the summer games, the track is depicted by the center oval. The Olympic rings, appearing not in their traditional six colors, are presented in red with the rest of the design for simplicity and, against a white background, to pay homage to the colors of the host country.

    Los Angeles 1984: Summer

    • Having boycotted the recent Moscow Olympics, the United States set forth a markedly American design for their 1984 summer games located in Los Angeles, California. Three stars -- in red, white and blue -- allude to the stars of the American flag as well as the national colors. The three stars also call to mind the first-, second- and third-place Olympic winners honored at each event, while their trailing lines symbolize speed and success of contestants.

    Turin 2006: Winter

    • The winter games of the 2006 Olympics were held in Turin, Italy. The emblem represents the dome of a local landmark, the Mole Antonelliana, while also alluding to the mountainous nature of winter Olympic events. Winter is present in the colors of the design, blue and white, whether representing ice crystals or snow and sky. With pointed edges and a skewed perspective, the 2006 emblem is modernized while still containing the traditional five-ring Olympic logo.

    Nagano 1998: Winter

    • For the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, the logo used was deceptively intricate while still appearing eye-catching and simple. At first glance, the design appears to be in the shape of a flower or a snow flake -- appropriate for the winter games -- while a closer look reveals six individual athletes, portrayed by abstract human figures, partaking in distinctly different sports. The nickname "Snow Flower" was given to this six-pronged logo.

    Mexico 1968: Summer

    • Using a style akin to the art of native Latin Americans, the logo designers for the Olympics of 1968 paid tribute to Mexican culture using layered-line typography. In an uncomplicated, gripping style, "Mexico" and "68" are printed simply in black, allowing the multi-colored Olympic ring logo to be offset brilliantly against them. The rounded font of the '68 emblem also lets the rings fit seamlessly into the design.

    Beijing 2008: Summer

    • The logo for the summer 2008 Olympics in China featured a white glyph on a red background. Simple as it appears, the white-on-red figure is multi-faceted in meaning. It is a running human form, a representation of the athletes in the summer games, as well as a variation on the Chinese character for the word "jing" -- meaning capital, as per the host city's name. The red is pulled from the Chinese flag, and the font used for the text is Asian in its styling.

    Lillehammer 1994: Winter

    • For the winter Olympics of 1994, the Aurora Borealis -- commonly associated with Norwegian winters -- was given an updated, structured white styling against a dark blue background. In similarly chilly colors but a much more subtle design, snow crystals were depicted along the bottom of the logo merging into a white background for the traditional multi-colored rings. The logo incorporated Norwegian tradition and Olympic tradition and brought them into modern times.

    Vancouver 2010: Winter

    • As the symbol for the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, Canada, designers created a raw, colorful representation of an Inukshuk, a traditional Inuit stone sculpture through five chunky figures. While these colors are drawn from those used historically to depict the Olympic rings, the black is replaced with a dark wintry blue. These colors represent aspects of Canadian landscape and culture: water, forests and mountains, vibrant yellow sunrises and the famous maple leaf.

    Munich 1972: Summer

    • The 1972 Olympic logo for the summer games hosted in Munich, Germany, captured the essence of the games and life of the time. In a new state of democracy, Germany's future held hope and promise. The logo depicted an abstract sun with rays of light emerging from structure and rigidity. The circular shape of the logo is an allusion to the Olympic rings without direct incorporation of them, and its one-color simplicity and minimalist design allows for greater print versatility and scalability.