Jon22: The Website of Jonathan Dobres

So this is the logo for the 2012 Olympics in London. The negative reaction to the unorthodox emblem has been, shall we say, pronounced. The interpretations of the logo are already getting interesting. Like an eight hundred thousand dollar Rorschach test, people are seeing all kinds of things in the chunky shapes. Some see a broken up swastika, and will no doubt get into a heated debate with the people who see the word “ZION”. Others see Lisa Simpson. And of course, there’s a segment of the population that always sees the same thing.

Granted, it’s never a good sign when one of the promotional videos for your new logo causes an epileptic seizure, but I think there a few things about this new mark worth talking about.

My initial reaction to the logo was not favorable. I believe I mentally compared it to Mooninite vomit. However, the more I look at it, the more it grows on me, which is a good thing, since this logo will be everywhere when 2012 finally comes around. Some say it will be dated in five years’ time, but those people are wrong. The logo is like a graffiti tag, and let’s be honest, graffiti hasn’t been culturally relevant since The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was on. So the Britons are clearly going for something else, something more abstract.

The logo is nothing if not flexible. Never mind that the London 2012 people chose the rather hideous color combination of pink and yellow for the logo’s debut. There are many things you can do with a logo that isn’t bound to an official color scheme, and the broad, chunky shapes open up many possibilities. How about filling the “0″ with your country’s flag?

The logo’s explanatory copy proudly proclaims that the 2012 Olympics will be “everyone’s Games.” I suppose this is why the year of the Olympiad is so prominent in this logo, as opposed to the usual convention of combining the city’s name alongside a stylized athlete (but if that’s your style, Beijing 2008 is around the corner). When they say everyone, they really mean everyone. Quite notably, this will be the first Olympics in which the Paralympics share the logo, and I’m sure I’ve given you a few reasons why you should be happy about that.

You may not like the new logo, but let’s put a lid on the arrogant comparisons to a child’s finger painting. This is hardly the most controversial Olympic logo ever made (take a second, eye melting look at Mexico 1968). I started out hating it, but I think it’s got potential. It’s certainly daring.

Oh, but I hate the font they chose for it. Illegible at small sizes and way too casual for what is arguably the most revered sporting event on the planet. Win some, lose some, I suppose.