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The controversy over the Olympic logo has been reignited after the advertising agency chosen to promote the Games distanced itself from the design.
Two years after the jigsaw-like logo was unveiled to worldwide criticism, the head of the US-owned McCann Worldgroup agency said he would "probably not" have chosen it as a symbol of the 2012 Games.
Brett Gosper, president of McCann Worldgroup in Europe, gave the logo - described by critics as a "puerile mess", a swastika and a collection of beer mats - a lukewarm response.
The £400,000 design, by London agency Wolff Olins, caused more controversy when promotional films triggered epileptic attacks among viewers. Mr Gosper said: "We saw the fallout of the logo. [Wolff Olins] would have quite liked the debate, but I don't think they thought it would go that far."
Mr Gosper refused to give his personal view on the design but, asked if he would have come up with such a logo, he said: "Probably not."
He added: "It is famous or infamous. I don't think it's a bad thing."
Nick Sykes, who heads the London Olympic account for McCann, said: "My daughter absolutely loves it. That's the truest answer."
The agency, which in April bid about £10 million for the right to market the Games, must incorporate the logo in all its promotional material.
London 2012 officials expressed unhappiness at the comments of their advertising agency, adding: "This is surprising."
Reader views (21)
In trying to be clever, those who chose this logo have completely missed the point. This logo doesn't say anything about the London branding. The Beijing Olympics logo is now immediately recognised as the emblem of the most successful Olympics.
- Chris W, Essex, 18/11/2009 23:06
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After fifty years of working as a professional designer in countries throughout the World I am speechless at the inept and amateurish design chosen as the logo of the 2012 Olympic Games. No wonder the London 2012 officials are unhappy with the comments of their ad. agency. Britain must now face the ridicule of the International community from now until long after the games are over.
- Ian, SURREY, 18/11/2009 14:46
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"This is surprising."???
Why, it is a God damn awful Logo. I had to wait 10 minutes for my eyes to re-adjust to type this!
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 18/11/2009 09:06
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I thought this logo was garbage the first time I saw it. It's always looked, to me, like someone on the right, crouching down a bit, playing some sort of fruit machine!
It's not worth £400, let alone £400K!
- Peter Booth, London, England, 18/11/2009 01:17
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How about a pound symbol dropping down a toilet - would
be much more appropriate for this absurd farce!
- Lb, Bromley, 17/11/2009 22:49
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If I were to be honest, it took me a long while to figure out that it said 2012. At first it just look like random shapes so I don't really like it and no one I know does either. I think the Lisa Simpson joke just shows that it's not a very great logo to represent.
- Sadie, London, London, 17/11/2009 17:31
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If I were you Londoners, I'd be more worried about the billions the olympics is actually COSTING. By contrast, the British authorities are fools for not getting behind the 2018 football bid, which will cost a fraction of the olympics, require no additional infrastructure (your stadia are among the finest in the world) and is likely to bring in a similar, if not more amount of money to the UK economy. Where are your priorities? Sort it out! PS. As a Parisian, I'm glad we lost out on this turkey!
- Jon, Paris, 17/11/2009 16:56
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All I can see is the word ZION. Somebody is definitely having a laugh!!!
- Mark, South-East London, 17/11/2009 16:00
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Did Gordon Brown have a hand in its design?
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one, 17/11/2009 15:34
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Why are you all blaming the desinger... surely the blames like with the person who selected it as the logo... this person should be made to answer... the agency produced a design with a specific remit.
I don't like the logo, but at least people are talking about it... that's a good thing, surely?
- Lee, London, 17/11/2009 13:22
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The logo is pathetic.
It clearly illustrates the mentality of those involved.
£40,000 bill for such a low standard of achievement is totally endemic of the culture in which we live today, and should be branded as unacceptable.
The ad agency should be forced to return the fees, as they clearly were not up to the job.
Unless we are only targetting the 8 to 12 year olds.
- Jon, lon/eng, 17/11/2009 12:30
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It reminds me of my years as a graphic designer, where you would submit a few logo design concepts, and add a few 'crap' ones, to show how good the best ones were. -Invariably someone on the client panel would find some merit in one of the 'rubbish' ones, and talk it up so forcefully that it would end up as the chosen logo.
-Maybe that's what happened here.
- Huggy, Cumbernauld Scotland, 17/11/2009 11:37
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If proof were needed that Lisa Simpson has grown up this imaga is, I'm afraid, it!
- Steve, Brentford, 17/11/2009 11:27
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Give me a few grand and I'll knock up a half decent logo for you.
Will save you a few pounds at the same time.
This logo was crap when it was introduced and guess what, it still is.
- Charles, Kennington, 17/11/2009 11:27
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I am really enthusiastic about our Olympics and I was prepared to let the logo grow on me, but the reverse has happened. No matter how hard I try to like it, I can't. The colours are vile, London is incomprehensibly written with a small L that looks like an I, the type face is horrible, from a distance it just looks like a blob, when miniaturised it is unrecognisable and it says nothing about Britain or London. It's just generally naff! we could have done so much better.
- Simon, London, 17/11/2009 11:15
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A pound symbol with an olympic flame eating away at it might be an appropriate logo.
- Darius, London UK, 17/11/2009 10:59
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I think it represents all that can be said about the Olympic dream in the UK. After all the '2' in twelve appears to be falling appart, crumbling from the top.
- Alan, carlisle uk, 17/11/2009 10:47
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This is such a rubbish logo, let's hope it's not a sign of things to come (excuse the pun!)
- Smithfields, Kent, 17/11/2009 10:26
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The Lisa Simpson animation of this logo was very amusing. The Olympic Delivery Authority have hunted it to near extinction as damaging their brand.
- Michael, Worcester, 17/11/2009 10:04
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I'd describe this vile logo as a cross between a distorted swastika and a graffiti artist's tag. It's horrible beyond words.
- Cally G, Essex, UK, 17/11/2009 10:01
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Did you have to use quite as big a picture of it? My eyes hurt now.
- Bob, Cheam, 17/11/2009 09:18
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