New Olympic Logo Features Rings, City Name, and ... Marianne

People aren't quite sure what to make of design for 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 22, 2019 9:50 AM CDT
New Olympic Logo Features Rings, City Name, and ... Marianne
The logo for the 2024 Olympics is displayed on a screen during a ceremony in Paris on Monday.   (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A French government spokeswoman calls it "magnifique," while an International Olympic Committee rep says it's "innovative." The rest of the world ... isn't quite sure what to make of a new Olympic logo unveiled for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The BBC notes that while the Eiffel Tower was used in promotional materials when the City of Lights was making its bid for this Olympics, a new design has taken its place: a depiction of the Olympic rings, the city name and year in an art deco-style font, and the Olympic flame within a gold medal designed to look like Marianne. If you're not familiar with Marianne, she's the personified "embodiment of the French Republic" and "the most widely shared representation of the motherland, at times fiery and warlike, at times pacific and nurturing."

In this case, she's at times praised and then ridiculed. For the former, the head of the IOC's Coordination Commission, who says in a release that "the combination of the gold medal, the Olympic flame, and Marianne brings together the values, history, and French touch that will make these Olympic Games truly special. I believe that this innovative design will be quickly recognized around the world." He's right about that last part, though maybe not for the reasons he'd like. The BBC and the Local round up reactions to the design, ranging from people comparing it to the Tinder logo or a hair salon ad to it looking like an emoji. One commenter even compared it to Lisa Simpson. As the Local notes, however, "the one thing everyone can agree on—the image certainly says 'France.'" (More Olympics stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X