NBC Sports

Context

Design logos and identity systems to brand NBC Sports’ global coverage of the Summer and Winter Olympic Games in Brazil and South Korea.

Strategy

Capture the essence of Rio and PyeongChang with designs that are unique to the NBC brand and function fluidly across platforms and spaces.

Solution

Custom typography and inspired graphic language celebrate the energy, grandeur, and motion of the Games for each season and location.

Rio 2016

Our road to the Olympics began early with open collaboration at NBC Sports.

To mark the first ever Olympic Games in South America, the official logo for Rio celebrates Brazil’s exuberant national identity. We took cues from their fluid lines and palette to develop overlapping shapes that are emblematic of Rio’s landscape and topography. These components are set in motion to create a dynamic background that supports our custom lettering.

Motion

We created an app to extend the energy and rhythm of the Rio logo through animation.

A custom app allowed us to interface between the lettering and the background to optimize the dynamics of color, shape, and timing for different platforms.

Beyond Broadcast

Our logo appeared on merchandise and OOH properties.

In addition their digital properties and social channels, the Rio logo appeared on exclusive merchandise available at NBC’s online store. It was also used in OOH advertising, the set designs of other NBC properties, and apparel worn on-air by network personalities and guests.

PyeongChang 2018

We moved immediately into creating the logo for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The host city’s 11-character name presented a unique set of design challenges for the Winter Games. South Korea’s geometric alphabet informs subtle details of the type design, while the repetition of shape evokes sweeping mountain peaks and the lines of traditional pagodas. Our mark balances modern Asian influences with the practical needs of broadcast design.

Beyond Broadcast

Our logo was adapted onto winterized brand collateral.

The NBC Sports store reflects current merchandise offerings for the 2018 Winter Games, featuring branded sports apparel and collectibles as well as cold weather attire.