Travel from Athens 1896, then Rio 2016 and finally to Tokyo 2020. Experience the artistic power of an Olympic poster. Each of the posters is a reflection of a culture, the people, and the era. Anyone interested in graphic design will find these designs inspiring. The current Rio 2016 poster collection is brilliant; we take a look at all 13 posters and artists. To put the artist’s work in better context, let’s look at the winning entries of the past Olympics. We travel to Athens 1896, travel across the ages to Rio 2016, and then finally move on to the futuristic imagery of Tokyo 2020.

1. Rio 2016
A Look at Amazing Olympic Posters from
1896-2020

2. “From its early days in the 1870s
to sophisticated late 20th centur
y developments, the poster has
not only remained a powerful co
mmunication tool, but has reflec
ted and shaped society”
MARGARET TIMMERS

3. VISUAL VOCABULARY IN OLYMPIC POSTERS
Public monuments
Statues
Flags
Landscapes
Cityscapes
Emblem of the Games
Limited text

4. ATHENS 1896
ARTIST
UNKNOWN
DESCRIPTION
The goddess Athena, holding in her hand an olive cr
own given
to the winners

5. STOCKHOLM 1912
ARTIST
Olle Hjortzberg
DESCRIPTION
Athletes twirling their country’s flag, with that of Sw
eden in the
foreground.

6. BERLIN 1936
Artist:
Werner Würbel
Description:
Horse-
drawn chariot on the Brandenburg Ga
te and a crowned winner

7. LONDON 1948
Artist:
Walter Herz
Description:
Townley Discobulus statue, Olympic ri
ngs and the Palace of Westminster in
London

8. HELSINKI 1952
Artist:
Ilmari Sysimetsä
Description:
Bronze statue of Finnish runner Paav
o Nurmi built by Wäinö Aaltonen

9. ROME 1960
Artist:Armando Testa
Description:A she-
wolf(the symbol of Rome)feeds Rom
ulus and Remus, the legendary found
ers of Rome

10. MUNICH 1972
Artist:
Otl H. Aicher
Description:Olympic tents, Olympic t
ower and spirals to symbolize dynam
ism

11. MOSCOW 1980
Artist:
Vladimir Arsentyev
Description:
The Olympic rings, the track of a stad
ium and a five-
pointed star create a Kremlin-
like effect

12. BARCELONA 1992
Artist:
Josep Maria Trias
Description:
The official emblem and a silhouette
of a leaping man

13. ATLANTA 1996
Artist:
Primo Angeli
Description:
An athlete and the four official Olym
pics colors in the background

14. SYDNEY 2000
Artist:
FHA Image Design
Description:
The Millennium Man emblem over a
silhouette of the Sydney Harbour

15. ATHENS 2004
Artist:
Wolff Olins Consultants
Red Design Consultants
Description:
The emblem and a crown of olive lea
ves

16. BEIJING 2008
Artist:Unknown
Description:
The Dancing Beijing emblem and the
Olympic
Rings

17. LONDON 2012
Artist:Rachel Whiteread
Description:
Deconstructed Olympic
Rings

18. BREAKING OF TRADITION
RIO 2016-WHY 13 POSTERS?
“One artist couldn’t accurately repre
sent the more than 200 million walks
of life that call the South American h
ost country home.”
Carla Camurati
(Director of Culture Rio Olympics)

19. Check Out 15
Design Elements
of Addictive
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20. RIO 2016
Artist: Alexandre Mancini
Title:
Compasição Ordenada

21. RIO 2016
Artist:Ana Clara Schindler
Title:
Rings of Colours

22. RIO 2016
Artist:Eduardo Kobra
Title:Pipas e Sonhos

23. RIO 2016
Artist: Juarez Machado
Title:
OIimpiadas Rio 2016

24. RIO 2016
Artist:
Rico Lins
Title:Vibração Olimpica

25. RIO 2016
Artist:Guto Lacaz
Title:
Cores em Copetição

26. RIO 2016
Artist: Gustavo Piqueira
Title:
Composto

27. RIO 2016
Artist:Antonio Dias
Title:Todo Lugar é meu país

28. RIO 2016
Artist:Beatriz Milhazes
Title:
Rosa deOuro

29. Rio 2016
Artist Claudio Tozzi
TitleMovimento

30. Rio 2016
Artist: Gringo Cardia e Geléia da
Rocinha
Title: Aquaplay

31. RIO 2016
Artist:
Olga de Amaral
Title: Umbra A-Rio

32. RIO 2016
Artist: Gustavo Greco
Title: Olympic Grids

33. Future Outlook
Tokyo 2020
Official Emblems and Poster
Tokyo 2020
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

34. Connect With Us!
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