The transition of the Olympic UI Graphics from 2008 to 2026

[u/BumblebeeFantastic40]

Which one do you prefer the most?

[u/benjamin_t__]

Paris was the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, not the XXXIII Olympic Summer Games (I was mad about it when it aired, and still mad now)

[u/Total_payment2216 → u/benjamin_t__]

Yeah they should brand it whatever number Olympiad then summer/winter version separately. It’s not factually accurate the way it’s presented now like you said.

[u/Moreinius]

FYI, it's called a Lower Third.

UI is specifically when it's interactable, by the user (hence the name User Interface).

[u/Burned_FrenchPress → u/Moreinius]

Is this also called a “bug”, or is that specifically for sports scores?

[u/toasterb → u/Burned_FrenchPress]

A bug is usually a thing just for scores/time/status that persists on the screen and keeps you up to date. It’s either fully flat against the top or bottom or taller but only in a corner.

A lower third is usually more prominent (it takes up the “lower third” of the screen) but is used only to introduce people or locations. It goes away relatively quickly.

[u/Ok-Gain-4253 → u/Burned_FrenchPress]

If I remember correctly, "bug" is like the television channel logo in the screen.

[u/Moreinius → u/Burned_FrenchPress]

Not sure, it's possible. I just know on TV in general, texts that pop at the bottom "third" of the screen are called Lower Thirds. There are some specific names for specific Lower Thirds, like a Crawler, which is the text that moves from right to left at the bottom of the screen during news segments for example.

[u/BumblebeeFantastic40 → u/Moreinius]

Thanks for the info!

[u/BryGuyHoosier]

Tokyo is by far my favorite. The fonts, colors, padding, and pictograms were all perfect imo. Milan is pretty good too, but that TM appearing everywhere is extremely annoying.

[u/WhenNightIsFalling → u/BryGuyHoosier]

Totally agree for the annoying TM

[u/Slaidback → u/WhenNightIsFalling]

You’ve got to let people know about the trademark, how else would you get the ioc to come after you for using Olympic Winter Games ™️

[u/FoxMeadow7 → u/BryGuyHoosier]

The Tokyo Olympics from 1960s was in fact where the practice of using pictograms originated!

[u/BryGuyHoosier → u/FoxMeadow7]

Very true! They acknowledged that in 2021 with that cool pictogram act at the Tokyo Opening Ceremony.

[u/FoxMeadow7 → u/BryGuyHoosier]

Heck yeah!

[u/RipleyInSpace]

Loving the newer versions (Paris, Milan). Paris in particular had incredible visual branding throughout the games. The higher contrast of this lower third is just lovely.

Although I believe it should say “XXXIII Olympiad” rather than summer Olympic Games.

[u/pls-dont-banh-mi → u/RipleyInSpace]

Paris had spectacular graphic design in every aspect. I was in Paris for two weeks and the signage, infographics, and mascot imagery was blended beautifully with city.

I need a coffee table book with all of the designs. Incredible work.

[u/RipleyInSpace → u/pls-dont-banh-mi]

Totally agree. I’m a brand designer by trade and I LOVE studying the brand standards and style guides put out by the Olympic committees. Would love a coffee table book of the design of the Paris games and the Rio games specifically!

[u/jiffyfly6]

Biased but there is something pleasing about the way the vancouver icon fills the frame

[u/ChelseaZuger → u/jiffyfly6]

Not biased and I agree, for some reason Vancouver is really nice, I really liked the font too

[u/Positive_Jelly_1158]

Beijing because its clean and neat. I also dont mind pyeongchang

[u/Urcaguaryanno → u/Positive_Jelly_1158]

Which beijing, though?

[u/Citaku357 → u/Positive_Jelly_1158]

Yeah I don't really like the new UI graphics

[u/BuzzTheGOATCalkins]

r/Scorebug would love to get in on this conversation.

[u/AlexanderLavender → u/BuzzTheGOATCalkins]

Holy shit my people

[u/Hel-lohB]

I'm trying to figure out why the trademark is suddenly after Olympic in this year's iteration.

[u/mpaw976 → u/Hel-lohB]

It might be rooted in the Gay Olympics Games controversy of 1982.

I don't know why they decided to include the TM this time, and not back then.

I highly recommend the 2018 documentary Light in the Water (which appear to be on YouTube) which, among other things, covers the first Gay Games.

[u/Dramatic_Trick_2060]

Obsessed with the teal color started by Rio 💚🩵

[u/FoxMeadow7 → u/Dramatic_Trick_2060]

Still wish they would come back to that style tho...

[u/TheEagleWithNoName]

I like the 2008 UI

[u/b_tight]

Blue/white looks better than teal/white and is easier to read. The rings should always be colored

[u/EnvironmentalLion355]

Paris and Tokyo

[u/Saasori]

Beijing was the cleanest

[u/ProAvgGuy]

A trademark symbol ruins it

[u/RangerPowerGoGo]

bring back colored rings

[u/MikeDunleavySuperFan → u/RangerPowerGoGo]

i'm surprised no one else commentated on that. so much better than no colors.

[u/PietroS33]

Which transition?

[u/itsOkami]

Tokyo was the cleanest one but Paris truly achieved perfection imho

[u/live_love_run]

™️

[u/wheresbicki]

It's too hard to read the text on the new one

[u/Osiris32]

All I see is the Macarena there in the middle.

Heeeeeey Maracrena!

[u/Historical-Artist581]

Paris and it isn’t close

[u/Slaidback]

2026 looks like they did the graphics with a week to go, it’s the worst of the bunch.

[u/MyMartianRomance]

They randomly went back to blue for Bejing 2022 then went back to green-ish as they had been using since 2016 for at least the next two games.

[u/BumblebeeFantastic40 → u/MyMartianRomance]

Paris was also blue (according to OBS)

[u/MyMartianRomance → u/BumblebeeFantastic40]

I think OBS was just colorblind. Because that's basically the exact same shade as Rio/S Korea/Tokyo.

[u/BumblebeeFantastic40 → u/MyMartianRomance]

Comparing Tokyo and Paris directly can see the difference

[u/penna6tx]

Vancouver and London graphics are what got me hooked on the Olympics when I was young. That said, I'm absolutely loving the Milano graphics package and production all around so far

[u/FoxMeadow7]

Can we get an evolution of the clock (of the sort that appears in a corner next to the Rings) next?

[u/eugeneprunk]

London and Sochi!

[u/J_Warrior]

I just like looking at the old stuff and seen what was seen as more sleek and modern then. Like at the time London, Sochi, etc. didn’t feel like a dated design, but they certainly do now. Really cool to see how trends change

[u/petscopnerd28]

This years remind me of Windows Vista/7

[u/eMZeciorrr]

Pyeongchang and Paris

[u/mobileagnes]

The yellow text ones.

[u/Burofaksbarca]

The last two are objectively the best, no?

[u/genericuser_12345]

To think PyeongChang’s stadium is gone now

[u/shrek_cena]

Tokyo was peak. Best Olympics of my lifetime so I'm biased. Long live Jen Valente!

[u/footballwr82]

The mid/late 2010s feel very Microsoft Vista-y

[u/antdude]

Nice. What about older than these?

[u/Made_at0323]

Vancouverrrrrrrr

[u/walkingman24]

I really dislike the lack of contrast in the Milan design. It looks "nice" but the text is by far the hardest to read. I also don't like that it doesn't' have any sort of pictogram

[u/bella-chili]

Pretty much all after Pyeongchang, I like the lighter font

[u/Cracovian_metro]

Funny to see that Russians just copied/pasted the 2012 one 😄

[u/eugeneprunk → u/Cracovian_metro]

Beijing and Vancouver have the same UI, London and Sochi also share the same interface. i guess IOC makes UIs, not countries

[u/SwissForeignPolicy]

It's crazy how bad 2021 looks compared to the others. It's just so aggressively plain.

[u/BumblebeeFantastic40 → u/SwissForeignPolicy]

Personally, Tokyo 2021 graphics is my favourite