Anabel Greiner + Johanna Mattes

Otl Aicher aimed “not to explain but to demonstrate” the values of a new, open-minded Germany at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Playing, sport and light-heartedness were Aicher’s central concepts guiding the visual identity he devised for the event.

Aicher’s work is underpinned by the stringent system he tapped to develop his unique pared-back pictograms – a timeless concept that is still compellingly valid today.

The (fictitious) Olympic Games come across “loud and clear” in 2022. Our submission focuses on five currently topical issues: peace, equality, humanity, environment and minimalism. At the heart of the overall concept is humanity.

Acceptance and tolerance become the Games’ watchwords in this way. The colour scheme speaks a powerful language. The colours selected are emblematic of momentum, strength and achievement in sport. They are of an intensity designed to attract attention. The quality of the visual identity for the 2022 Olympic Games resides in the pared-back yet unequivocal way in which the guiding notion focused on humanity and sport is conveyed.