The history of the Olympic Games can be remembered from 776 to 394 BC. However, they continued to exist only from 1896 in Athens, on the initiative of Pierre de Coubertin, who
and came up with the most common and generally accepted symbolism of the Olympic Games - five connected multi-colored rings, symbolizing unification
five parts of the world.
The rings symbolize the unification of the five parts of the world
It all started small: first, the Olympics acquired a unique Olympic emblem and Olympic medal design, in 1948 official posters and graphics, and in 1968 the first mascot appeared at the games. Almost a hundred years of evolution in Olympic Games design. Every Olympian
The logo and graphics are the work of
arts that showcase the best design ideas and the spirit of the times, as well as the image of the country in which the games are held. Let's see how the design of the Olympic Games changed and whether the designers managed to realize what they would like to leave unchanged forever.
What can you learn from these excellent works?
1968 Mexico City (Mexico)
The 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City became the first major design project and the first significant visual phenomenon. The apparent simplicity of the emblem at first glance - five Olympic rings combined with the binary designation of the corresponding year - caused a real sensation, which instantly glorified the artists who worked on it. All the symbolism of the games focused everyone's attention on the originality of the culture of the Mexican people. Lance Wyman, Peter Murdock and Eduardo Terrazas combined op art, which was rapidly gaining popularity in the late 1960s, and the decorative art of the Indians who once lived in Mexico. The visual navigation they created is still considered one of the best in the world. Beautiful colored pictograms that decorated the main thoroughfares of Mexico City greatly simplified the movement of guests in an unfamiliar city and gave the Mexican capital a bright and memorable mood. The 68 Olympics became a significant event for world design.
Did the designers manage to embody what you want to leave unchanged forever?
1972 Munich (Germany)
The entire graphic style for the 1972 Olympics was created by the German designer Otl Aicher. By the way, he also made the Rotis font. The emblem for the Olympics turned out to be quite unusual, but the public greeted it rather coolly. Perhaps this is the fate of all design innovations. The mascot for the Olympics was the cute dachshund Waldi, symbolizing speed, endurance, strength and agility. The designer also managed to convey the dynamics of movement in pictograms for the Olympics, which harmoniously fit into the overall graphic style.
1976 Montreal (Canada)
The graphic design of the Olympic Games in Montreal, created by designers Georges Huel and Pierre-Yves Pelletier, is considered one of the most successful, along with the identity of the Olympics in Munich and Mexico City. In 1976, a detailed guideline was also published, which, like souvenirs from the Olympic Games in Montreal, is still sought after by collectors. The emblem depicts Olympic rings, installed on the Olympic podium, which is also a graphic interpretation of the letter M, the first letter in the name of the city of Montreal. In the center of the emblem is a running track - the central object of the Olympic Games. The symbol of the Olympics was a beaver named "Amik", which is taken from the Algonquian language, which is the most popular language among American Indians in Canada. "Amik" is translated from their language as "beaver". The beaver is famous for its patience and hard work, which is why it was chosen as the symbol of the Olympic Games.
1980 Moscow (Russia)
The emblem for the Olympic Games was created by Vladimir Arsentiev, which consists of the Olympic rings, above which there are parallel lines merging into a pyramid, and a five-pointed star, symbolizing the Moscow Kremlin. The set of pictograms for the 1980 Olympics was created by a young Leningrad athlete and artist Nikolai Belkov. Is fundamentally new next moment: Previously, the figures of athletes seemed to “float” on an empty square field, but Belkov’s figures of athletes were clearly fixed in space. The famous children's book illustrator Viktor Chizhikov created the mascot for the Olympic Games in Moscow - the Olympic bear named Misha.
1984 Los Angeles (USA)
The star is a universal symbol of humanity's highest aspirations; the horizontal lines represent the speed with which participants strive for excellence, while the repetition of the star's shape symbolizes the spirit of competition between equals. physical training athletes. The symbolic colors - blue, white and red - were chosen in part for their traditional meaning in the field of awarding prizes for first, second and third place. The developer of the icons is Bright and Associates. The design of this system is clear. With the help of such geometric figures, an ideal, easily remembered human image was recreated, which does not require various stylistic exaggerations. Eagle "Sam" became the symbol of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. It was chosen as the symbol of the Olympics because the imposing bald eagle is the national symbol of the United States. Robert Moore and his associates from the Walt Disney studio chose this particular eagle, and Sam's design is aimed at attracting the attention of children.
1988 Seoul (Korea)
The emblem of Seoul features the Sam-Taeguk pattern. Sam-Taeguk is the traditional wuzon that characterizes Korea. It is widely used to decorate fans, Korean-style house gates, souvenirs and folk crafts. The Olympic emblem contains two types of pattern elements, centripetal and centrifugal; The centripetal movement depicts people from all over the world arriving in Korea, thereby symbolizing harmony throughout the world, while the centrifugal movement depicts a person's movement forward in search of happiness and prosperity. The Seoul pictograms differed from the previous ones mainly in that they had a clear division of the composition of the human figure into the torso, arms, legs and head. Artists tried to get as close as possible to the normal shape of the human body. A characteristic feature is the “unpainted” body. The mascot is the friendly tiger cub Hodori, the hero of many Korean legends.
1996 Atlanta (USA)
The torch-shaped base of the emblem, made from the five Olympic rings and the number 100, is reminiscent of a classic Greek column and was made especially for the centenary of the Olympic Games. The flame of the torch gradually turns into a star, symbolizing the desire of each athlete for excellence. The pictograms of all previous Olympic Games were characterized by the use of abstract images. But a different pictogram design was selected for the Atlanta Olympics. The pictograms of Atlanta convey the grace of the athlete’s figure and the perfection of its sports uniform.
2000 Sydney (Australia)
The emblem depicts the figure of an athlete. An image of a boomerang, as well as the sun and rocks, merged with the harbor and beaches on a red background. Designed to evoke in our imagination images of a truly Austrian landscape and its indigenous inhabitants. Pictograms designed by Saunders Design. The figures of the athletes also consist of three elements, but the brushstroke takes the form of a boomerang, a traditional Aboriginal weapon. This is the first time the pictogram style has been directly linked to the Games symbol. Three animals living in the latitudes of Australia were chosen as mascots for the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000: the kookaburra bird "Ollie", the platypus "Sid" and the echidna "Millie". These Australian animals symbolize earth, air and water.
2002 Salt Lake City (USA)
The emblem is stylized as a snowflake, painted in bright colors - yellow, orange and blue. These colors are native to the Utah landscape. Below the picture, above the Olympic rings, are the words "Salt Lake City 2002." The theme embedded in these graphic elements includes three components: contrast, culture and courage. The contrast is symbolic of Utah's landscape, from deserts to snowy mountains; The culture component refers to the various cultures that represent the unique heritage of this state of America, and courage reflects the spiritual spirit of the athletes. All these components represent the core essence of games. The theme of this emblem satisfied the needs and wishes of the people of Utah, who wanted an emblem that would reflect the diversity of the landscape, the unique heritage of their region, and the Olympic spirit.
2004 Athens (Greece)
The emblem of the 2004 Olympic Games depicts an olive wreath, a branch of an olive tree intertwined in a circle. The emblem references the ancient Olympic Games, in which the olive wreath served as the official award for the winners of the Olympic Games. In addition, the olive was the sacred tree of Athens. The pictograms for the Games in Athens are designed in the terracotta ancient Greek style. The creators drew inspiration from art and culture Ancient Greece The simplicity of the shape of the figurines was inspired by the figurines of the Cycladic culture (3-2 millennia BC). The artistic appearance of pictograms originates from the black-figure style (a type of painting of ceramic vases in Ancient Greece of the archaic period - in the 12th-7th centuries BC), where solid black forms represent human body, and individual lines determine the purpose of the forms. The clearly drawn three-dimensional figures of athletes in Athenian pictographs are set against a background reminiscent of a fragment of an ancient Greek vase. Phevos and Athena - brother and sister - are the official mascots of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Although their creation was inspired by an ancient Greek doll, and their names are associated with Ancient Greece, but still these brother and sister are children of modern civilization.
2006 Turin (Italy)
The emblem of the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics depicts the silhouette of the Mole Antonellina building, the symbol of Turin. The silhouette smoothly transitions into the image of a mountain surrounded by ice crystals, on which the snow merges with the sky. The crystals intertwine with each other, forming a network: a network of new technologies and eternal Olympic unity. Neve: she is a gentle, kind and elegant snowball; Gliz: He is a lively, playful piece of ice. These are two symbolic characters of the XX Winter Olympic Games. They complement each other and represent winter sports.
2008 Beijing (PRC)
The official emblem of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is called "Chinese Seal-Dancing Beijing". It skillfully combines Chinese printing and the art of calligraphy with athletic features, transforming the elements into a human figure striving forward to victory. The figure is similar to the Chinese hero "Jing", who guards the Olympic host city and represents a particularly significant Chinese style. The pictograms of the 2008 Olympic Games combine the charm of ancient Chinese art (using a technique based on the traditions of bronze carving of ancient Chinese masters) with the simplicity and laconicism of modern graphics. The images are built on a sharp contrast of black and white, which makes the perception of the athletes’ movement stronger, conveys a feeling of vigor and vitality.
2010 Vancouver (Canada)
The emblem of the Twenty-first Winter Olympic Games, the Ilanaak statue, was designed by Rivera Design Group. The name of this statue is translated from the Inuit language as “friend”, made of five stones, it looks like a person. The colors of the emblem - green, blue, light blue, red and yellow - symbolize forests, mountains, the ocean, the rising sun and the maple leaf located on the flag of Canada. Three animals became the mascots of the games. Miga, Kuatchi and Sumi come from the legends of the peoples of the west coast of Canada, symbolizing the connection between the world of people, animals and spirits. The logo features an Inukshuk statue named Ilanaak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inukshuk), which means “friend” in Inuktitut. The image was taken from a statue that stands on the shores of English Bay in Vancouver. Green, blue and blue symbolize forests, mountains and the ocean, red represents the color of the maple leaf located on the Canadian flag, and yellow represents the color of the rising sun.
2012 London (UK)
The logo is a stylization of the date of the games - 2012. The logo includes the name of the city where the Olympic Games are held and the five Olympic rings. Unfortunately, the public was not impressed by the Olympic Games emblem and caused misunderstanding and protests in Britain. Two versions of the pictograms were developed for the London Olympics. The first is monochromatic silhouettes (white on a black background), the second is two-color silhouettes made of blue and pink intersecting lines. The colors and style of the second set of icons were inspired by the London Underground layout. The second version more dynamically tries to convey the speed, energy and excitement of the game, it was used on souvenirs, posters, information stands and signs.
2014 Sochi (Russia)
The design of Sochi 2014 was made using the patchwork technique, which will combine the ornaments into a single whole. According to the designers' idea, the combination of patterns from Russian folk crafts is a clear embodiment of the ideology of the Olympics. The synthesis of ornaments reflects the unity of cultures and nationalities. At the same time, the business portal
Market discovered that Bosco borrowed the idea of a patchwork quilt (a combination of 28 patterns from 16 national crafts of Russia) from the Atlanta 1996 games fifteen years ago. It was then that words were spoken about the unity of cultures.
The design of the Olympic Games must reflect the best
what is in the design graphics of its time
Pay attention to the technique of work, the colors used, fonts, symbols, visual images, and you will be able to understand what trends were in graphic art at one time or another, and what directions were relevant. Unfortunately, we cannot objectively compare the works of the beginning of the last and this century, but we were able to trace the history of the evolution of design along with the development of graphic art. The design of the Olympic Games reflects the national background of the venue, and more importantly, reflects the very best of design graphics of its time.
The Olympics in Sochi just ended. Athletes fought, spectators cheered, and children drew their symbols of the olympiad .
We are in touch - wonderful family Shevtsov
from the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk
Hello!
Our whole family followed the Olympics, “cheering” for our team, which pleased us and won 2 medals.
But Winter Olympics ended, and now we will wait for the summer one. And for the next Olympics, Masha decided to draw her own mascot.We added a mandatory attribute – Olympic rings. But also, of course, bright flowers, gentle sunshine and grass.Here we have such a cute creature.
“Symbol of the Olympics” - drawing by Masha Shevtsova, 8 years old
Dima is still small, so we drew the mascot of the Sochi Olympics with him - polar bear. The idea was taken from a wonderful drawing by Zhenya Maslova, but they used a felt-tip pen that had to be blown out. This makes it much cleaner than paint.
“The symbol of the Olympics is bears” - drawing by Dima Shevtsov, 3 years old
Masha also likes these wonderful markers, so she also created several masterpieces. Using templates, you can draw a picture of “Hot countries”.
“Hot countries” – drawing – collage
And if you attach the template with tape, you get this “portrait” in a frame.
“Hot countries” - drawing by Masha Shevtsova, 8 years old
Since this year is the Year of the Horse, Masha simply could not help but draw it.
Drawing “Horse” – collage
Here is our beauty - a symbol Summer Olympics. She grazes in a meadow and is decorated with drops of colored glitter glue.
“Horse” - drawing by Masha Shevtsova, 8 years old
Did you like our drawings - symbols of the Olympics ?
The Olympic Games are the most important and famous sports. They are held every four years. The names of athletes who manage to climb onto the Olympic podium remain forever in the history of sports.
There are many legends and myths about the origin of the Olympic Games. It is known that they began to be held in Olympia, a small town located in Southern Greece. The name of the Games comes from Olympia.
Many people came to the games from all over Hellas, as Ancient Greece was called. At the beginning of the history of the Olympic Games there was only one type of competition - running over a distance of one stage (192 m). That’s exactly where the word “stadium” comes from. Later, the number of types of competitions increased. Competitions appeared in double-distance running, fist fighting, javelin and discus throwing, wrestling and chariot racing.
Only men could participate in the competition. Women faced the death penalty if they were present at the stadium. Main award there was an olive branch for the Olympic winner. It was cut with a knife made of gold from an old tree that Hercules, the son of the god Zeus, planted.
The modern Olympic Games were revived in Athens in 1896. Athletes from 14 countries took part in the games. And as per the rules of the ancient Olympics, only men participated. The success was stunning.
Then it was decided that each Olympics would be held in a new place. The emblem of the Olympic Games is the “five rings”, representing the five parts of the world.
On February 7, 2014, the XXII Winter Olympic Games opened in Sochi. This is the second Olympics for Russia; the first, the 1980 Summer Olympics, was held in Moscow. Athletes from 88 countries came to the Sochi Olympics.
Athletes of the Russian team won the most medals. Olympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi was a great success.
You can learn more about the history of the Olympic Games on the page dedicated to the exciting and mysterious world of antiquity!
Children will also get acquainted with the inventions of Archimedes, ancient Sparta, learn what the theater was like during the time of Dionysus, see a model of the Trojan Horse and be able to go on a trip on a real Argo galley.
We are waiting for the drawing competition “The Olympics - the largest event in the world” to include works by young artists on the theme of the Ancient Greek and modern Olympic Games.
Sponsor of the competition “The Olympics - the largest event in the world”:
All-Russian theatrical interactive exhibition
"GREECE. HEROES OF HELLAS"
The exhibition is dedicated to the exciting and mysterious world of antiquity. This is not only an exhibition that allows you to plunge into the history of ancient Greece, but also a large-scale cultural and educational program for schoolchildren. Children will get acquainted with the history of the Olympic Games, military armor and weapons of Spartan warriors, learn what the theater was like during the time of Dionysus, see a model of the Trojan Horse and will be able to go on a trip on a real Argo galley. The central exhibition dedicated to the friendship between Russia and Greece deserves special attention, illustrating great historical events - the liberation of the countries of the Balkan Peninsula from the Ottoman yoke and the 1000th anniversary of the presence of Russians on Mount Athos.
In addition, there will be interactive areas for little visitors and their parents: the Minotaur quest labyrinth, Aphrodite’s beauty salon, trying on the armor of ancient warriors, archery, master classes on sculpture modeling and vase painting.
And to top it all off, visitors will see a fascinating story based on the myths of Ancient Greece. Exhibition period: MARCH 1 - APRIL 24
Prizes for the winners:
- Prize - Happy puppy - 2 pcs.
The winners are 8 participants:
- selected from 20 applicants those who received the most votes based on the results of voting by site visitors - 2 participants;
- to choose from Competition sponsor- 3 participants;
- to choose from Organizer of the competition- 3 participants;
All participants will be awarded Diplomas of participation in the competition. (Feel free to invite your friends and family to vote.)
Teachers and educators whose children take an active part in the competition will receive a “Letter of Thanks.”
Conditions of the competition:
- Illustrations on the theme of the competition are accepted for the competition;
- the work must be given a title;
- in the comments you must indicate the age of the child, the name of the locality where you are from;
- works must correspond to the portal “Capital of Childhood”;
Competition dates:
- from March 01 to April 08;
- acceptance of drawings until April 06;
- voting by portal visitors from March 1 to April 6;
- Winners will be determined on April 8.
In Sochi they became, perhaps, the main event sports life Russia for many years. These happy days were remembered by everyone for something. Not particularly active sports fans appreciated the opening ceremony of the Olympics, because at times it gave them goosebumps. But those who closely followed the events of the Games will remember the rapid ups and bitter downs. For many, they became quite a strong motivation to start new life, pull yourself together and strive for new heights. And probably you or someone you know has a T-shirt, mug, hat, scarf or anything else with cherished symbols (the 80 Olympics don’t count). Looking at this symbolism, you feel proud of your country. Today you will learn how to draw the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 and where to use your masterpieces.
New old symbol
Everyone knows these five rings on a white background. They were proposed by P. de Coubert. In the first row there are blue, black, red circles, and in the bottom row there are yellow and green circles. It is generally accepted that all these colors are not tied to the continents - it’s just that any participating country has one or another color out of the six on (don’t forget about white) in its national symbols. The old version says that one ring corresponds to one of the parts of the world.
And now you will learn how to draw the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014, namely their main symbol. Of course, you can just draw five circles, but it won’t look as interesting. First, draw these rings with a pencil. So, the color blue is associated with Europe. In this sector you will need a blue or cyan pencil and... imagination. What do you associate with Europe? Maybe the main attractions or just a map? Behind it is a yellow circle - Asia. In yellow, paint, for example, the Great Wall of China or a Japanese pagoda. Black symbolizes America. Skyscrapers or Machu Picchu? Jungle or Wild West? Find a compromise between the two continents. Africa is the next ring. draw pyramids, camels, savannah or lions - what you associate with this continent. Australia is represented by a green ring. This also includes Oceania - the land of jungles and paradise islands. Since this is a unique continent, you can depict fauna: kangaroos, koalas, platypus... Everything is limited only by the inner diameter of the rings. By the way, you can do without the usual frames: erase the lines drawn with a simple pencil. How to draw the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014, connecting them with Russian themes? Fill the rings with views of our country or Sochi. The main thing is to do everything in appropriate colors.
How to draw the Olympic Games mascot?
We had several of them at the Olympics. And it’s not just a bunny, a bear and scarves. The question often arises: how to draw the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 using these characters? This problem can be solved. Draw the outlines of the animals or outline them to create one silhouette. Of course, it is most convenient to work on a computer. Now fill the space inside the animal with small photographs, such as champions or competition footage.
Ice and fire
How to draw the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 in dynamics? You can create not just a drawing, but a full-fledged piece of art. It will consist of several parts. It is best to use bright colors for it. In the upper left corner, depict a biathlete, skier or speed skater in motion. Moreover, draw only half of the body and turn it into a genie with very bright strokes. Pull it to the opposite end of the sheet. In the lower right is the symbol of the Olympics. And fill the rest of the space, for example, with icons winter species sports, mascots, fans' faces, medals, trampolines, scenes of sports and cultural life... Use as many bright colors as possible. You can fill the space with multi-colored diamonds with a smooth transition.
Your own designer
So, you found out, step by step. And if the result of your work amazed everyone or even you just like it, then why leave it gathering dust in the closet? Hang some art of a ski racer on your wall, for example. Such an interior element will immediately enliven the apartment! Do you want as much as possible more people did you see the master's work? Then design a T-shirt or mug. The methods shown are so easy that even a child can handle them. And if he is given a similar task at school, then this work will certainly be appreciated. Create your own art on this topic. Or find something that symbolizes the unopened ring at the opening of the Olympics. A great idea is to play with the font used for the 2014 Olympics logo. Maybe comics featuring animal mascots come to mind? If you know Photoshop, you can create a very impressive collage. If the topic captivates you so much, then you can delve into infographics, which are quite popular now.
Hi all! We decided to dedicate today's step-by-step drawing lesson to one of the cutest and most charming mascots of the Olympic Games - the Olympic Bear, who patronized the 1980 Olympics. In general, as is easy to see, everything olympic mascots charming and sweet, but our Mishka especially stands out. By the way, the decision that the bear would be the mascot was made on the sidelines of the CPSU Central Committee, and the competition for artists was announced as drawing a bear, and not just an Olympic symbol.
The cutest and most suitable of the huge number of options was chosen to be a sketch by the artist Viktor Chizhikov, which depicted a memorable, charmingly smiling bear cub standing on its hind legs, wearing a belt with the logo of the Olympic Games. This is the little bear we will draw.
Step 1
Let's break the tradition of our site and make a small exception. The first step is to put down your pencils and watch an incredibly touching video from the closing ceremony of the Moscow Olympics. The song heard in this video still brings tears to the eyes of millions of viewers all over the planet.
Step 2
I think that after watching this video, everyone was in the right frame of mind and felt the absolutely indescribable atmosphere of the huge stadium saying goodbye to the Olympic bear cub. And now we start drawing!
First, let's draw a flat, rounded figure, similar to a roll.
Step 3
Now let's draw a horizontal line at the top of the drawn figure. 
Step 4
Use two simple curved lines to outline the eyes, using the markings from the previous step.
Step 5
Now, under the line outlined in the second stage, let’s draw a regular circle. Many lessons on our site dedicated to cartoon characters are drawn in the same style. A very clear example is the lesson about.
Step 6
It's time to draw the ears of our teddy bear. They should be located above the eyes and at approximately the same distance from each other.
Step 7
Let's depict the bear's body as a figure similar to a bean or a silhouette from the cartoon "Despicable Me". 
Step 8
Now let's draw the front legs of our bear.
Step 9
And in this stage we will draw the rounded hind legs.
Step 10
Well, the silhouette of the bear cub is ready, and all subsequent steps we will draw the details of our Olympic symbol and give it a finished look. Erase the horizontal line of the eyes and draw the eyes themselves. 
Step 11
Let's draw the mouth and nose of the teddy bear.
Step 12
Now let's outline and draw the ears.
Step 13
Let's erase the extra lines of the body from the previous stages and draw a triangle on the chest, as well as claws on the limbs. 
Step 14
This will be the final stage of the lesson dedicated to how to draw Olympic Teddy Bear step by step. Here we only need to draw the belt in which our charming hero will be dressed.
This was a step-by-step drawing lesson from the Drawingforall website! Write in the comments your wishes regarding new topics of our lessons and be healthy!
