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Designing the Multilingual: Summer Olympic Sports Pictograms and Universal Design in Cross-cultural Context

He, Wenjie (2020) Designing the Multilingual: Summer Olympic Sports Pictograms and Universal Design in Cross-cultural Context. [MRP]

Item Type: MRP
Creators: He, Wenjie
Abstract:

This Major Research Paper explores Summer Olympic sports pictograms design in historical and cross-cultural context. The distinctive characteristic and significance of Olympic sports pictogram design lies in its capacity to negotiate specific cultural expression alongside universal legibility, ideally communicating without supplementary text. On the other hand, they are also sutured to the mission of expressing the national identity of the host city/country and charged with conveying the specific cultural legacy unique to the host. Through an in-depth case study of the design process for the pictograms of the 2008 Beijing Olympiad, it further attempts to counter the Western-centered perspective of Olympic design scholarship. Drawing on the role and meaning of Chinese script (direct inspiration for the 2008 pictograms), as well as interventions by domestic and international stakeholders, this paper demonstrates how these images negotiate a synthesis between specific cultural interests and universal communication.

Date: 11 May 2020
Uncontrolled Keywords: Olympic pictograms, Beijing 2008, Olympiad, design, history, Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic pictograms,
Divisions: Graduate Studies > Contemporary Art, Design and New Media Art Histories
Date Deposited: 14 May 2020 14:43
Last Modified: 20 Dec 2021 21:30
URI: https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/3003

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