Iconography that lasts the tests of time must be three things- simple, recognizable, and meaningful. Rarely do you find such an example of substantial iconography than in the Olympic Rings and Flame. 

The Olympics, a historic multi-discipline competition dating back to the times of Zeus, have long carried an important symbolism of connection, and unity across nations. While the games themselves occurred sporadically throughout history, the modern games and therefore the symbol of the rings and flame were a more recent creation.

The five rings first appeared at the 1913 games as a letterhead of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games. He wrote that the five rings represented the five parts of the world “won over to Olympism and ready to accept its fertile rivalries” and that the six colors (white, black, blue, yellow, red, and green) are those that make up all the participating country’s flags. These interlocking rings represent the connection between rivals and unity between countries through sport, even when diplomacy might not be at its peak.

The Olympic flame began as a symbol for Prometheus’s gift of fire to humanity, is an ode to the growth of civilization. In ancient times, the fire was kept alight in basins in Olympia, Greece. In the 1920’s, the flame was revived and passed from person to person in a relay as a symbol of a race form past to the present, sharing our humanity with one another before competing. 

The design of these two somewhat simplistic graphics have since become synonymous with the games themselves. They are signs of hope, peace, excellence, and rivalry that we all enjoy every 2 years. This summer, the rings and flame will find themselves broadcast around the world again and hopeful athletes travel represent their homelands in Paris.

RESOURCE 1 – Olympic Logo Design
RESOURCE 2 – Olympic Logo Design 2