Gallery: Decoding the Hidden Meanings of Olympic Symbols

  • Image may contain Text and Symbol
    International Olympic Committee
    01

    1964-1.jpg

    Tokyo's 1964 pictograms used simple silhouettes to depict the athletes.
  • Image may contain Text Logo Symbol Trademark and Alphabet
    International Olympic Committee
    02

    1968-1.jpg

    Lance Wyman's graphics for the 1968 Mexico City Games were a bold departure. The color and shapes were based on pre-Hispanic glyphs.
  • Image may contain Sports Sport Fitness Exercise and Working Out
    International Olympic Committee
    03

    1972-1.jpg

    The 1972 Munich Olympics use elements from Tokyo's pictograms, but the figures are thinner and more uniform.
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    International Olympic Committee
    04

    1976-1.jpg

    In 1976 Montreal reused Munich's symbols but changed them to a red hue.
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    International Olympic Committee
    05

    1980-1.jpg

    An art student designed Moscow's 1980 unibody pictograms.
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    International Olympic Committee
    06

    1984-1.jpg

    The organizing committee of the 1984 Los Angeles Games were interested in using Munich's set of pictograms, but realized it would be cheaper to design them from scratch. You can still see Munich's lineage in the streamlined design.
  • Image may contain Text Animal Bird Human Person and Alphabet
    International Olympic Committee
    07

    1988-1.jpg

    Seoul's 1988 icons are distinguished by their white torsos.
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    International Olympic Committee
    08

    1992-1.jpg

    In 1992, Barcelona's pictograms marked the first time since Mexico City that the pictograms took on a highly-stylized look. The icons were meant to evoke the Games' logo, which used similar sweeping gestures.
  • Image may contain Human Sport Sports Martial Arts Person Tai Chi Animal Bird Exercise and Working Out
    International Olympic Committee
    09

    1996-1.jpg

    For the 1996 Olympics Malcom Grear designed a hyper-realistic set of pictograms based on photos of athletes.
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    International Olympic Committee
    10

    2000-1.jpg

    For the Sydney 2000 Olympics, the designers created a group of pictograms where the legs and torso were replaced by boomerangs.
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    International Olympic Committee
    11

    2004-1.jpg

    Athen's 2004 pictograms are meant to evoke the figures found on ancient Greek vases.
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    International Olympic Committee
    12

    2008-1.jpg

    Beijing's 2008 pictograms use calligraphic strokes.
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    International Olympic Committee
    13

    2012-1.jpg

    For the 2012 Olympics, SomeOne designed a set of humanistic pictograms that were meant to tie into the overall graphic identity of the Games.
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    International Olympic Committee
    14

    2016-1.jpg

    This year's pictograms are meant to represent the curvy Brazilian landscape.
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