When Baron Pierre de Coubertin designed the modern Olympic logo in 1914, even he could not have imagined that his creation would be so highly visible and widely recognised one hundred years on.
With the London games over, and the city lingering in the afterglow, a British committee begins to focus on developing the legacy of The Games.
Meanwhile, the IOC packs up and moves out, setting its sights firmly on the next big gig, Rio 2016.
The London games may not loom large in the childhood memories of 5-year-old Isadora, as she grows up, though it did capture her imagination. Days after the closing ceremony Isadora continued to churn out drawings of tennis players, scribbles of bicycle riders, swimmers and volleyball players. Within each drawing was her reproduction of the unmistakable mark, five interlocking rings.
This is the first symbol she has ever included as part of a drawing, and such logo recognition would surely warm the hearts of global brand consultants.
My favourite bit though, aside from the 11 fingered beach volleyball player pictured above, is that within the same drawing, this small Australian girl chose to make her volleyball player French. In doing so, she has displayed a lack of boundaries,
a non-existent nationalism, and effortlessly honoured the Olympic ideal of
shared humanity.
The guardians of the Olympic image may not appreciate such unsanctioned reproduction of their trademark, however, they might appreciate the spirit in which it was used here. The future of the Olympic ideals could be in good shape if the drawing is anything to go by, Olympic games brand recognition looks like an absolute shoe in.
rs
bakersmith 