London Olympics and Paralympic Logo 2012

The London 2012 Olympics will be the first time that the same logo will be used for both the Olympics and the Paralympics.

There have been two logos used in the London Olympics, the first was used in the bidding process (shown on right) and was designed by Kino Designs. After looking at the Beijing logos, I just think this is a poor representation of what Britain is as a nation. The logo seems boring and I don't think it does us justice as a country.

The second logo is the one shown right, designed by Wollf Olins is supposed to reach out to young people and engage them in the games. The logos are used in a variety of colours including the Union Jack promoting the handover cerermony. Sponsors have also been able to personalise the logo for their companies such as Lloyds, Adidas and British Airways.

One advertising exec suggested that the logo was just a remake of the Tiswas logo.

I don't like the logo (along with 80% of the British public), like the previous one it doesn't show anything about Britain and our culture. The logo shouldn't be designed just for one demographic, it should be inspiring and aimed at all people.

Beijing Paralympic Logo 2008

The Beijing Paralympics 2008 is called "Sky, Earth and Human Beings", the colours each represent the sun (red), sky (blue) and earth (green).

is the Chinese character 之 designed to show an athlete in motion and symbolise the effort a paralympian has to put into their event and also real life.

The emblem is also meant to embody the harmony of heart, bosy and spirit which is a core philosophy of Chinese culture.

The paralymic motto is "Spirit in motion" which is perfectly depicted in this logo, it shows the same spirit as the previous logo.

Beijing Olympics Logo 2008

Designed by Guo Chunning, the design is known as Dancing Beijing.

The design includes a red seal, important in Chinese culture as it is used on official documents. red is also an important colour in Chinese culture as it signifies good luck. The character is an illustration of the Chinese word "capital" (京) obviously depicting the host city.

The open arms are supposed to illustrate the theme of the games "One world, one dream" to show how China are welcoming people to share their culture. The figure also symbolises a runner crossing the finish line.

Other designs included images of dragons and the great wall.

This logo is a great representation of Chinese heritage mixed with the spirit of the Olympics. The way they have made figures out of their symbols gives the logo loads of meaning and interpretations.

Jamie Oliver's Fifteen

Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant in Cornwall was his flagship when he began his programme for disadvantaged teenagers.

Sitting on Watergate Bay, Fifteen gives the opportunity for 20 youngsters a year to become professional chefs. It's a none profit restaurant where all the proceeds go to charity.

The interior is surprisingly low key and not at all what I was expecting. The best part was the "urban graffiti" on the walls which really expressed the style of the surroundings. It's a fantastic design which fits in well with the lifestyle of Cornwall and the excellent beach of Watergate bay.

The new Becks bottles

As part of a partnership with the RCA, Beck's have created four new contemporary art labels for their bottles. The "Beck's Canvas" project gives the four artists an opportunity to display their work in places they never could have before.

Personally, I think this is a fantastic initiative. People are often unwilling to go to museums and galleries to view art and this way it is bringing the work of these four artists to people who would never usually see them.

Even if the art is not liked, it is a way to get people talking about art and having some opinion about it.

http://www.becks.co.uk/canvas.aspx