California’s sporadic “superblooms” of bright orange poppies named for the state and other wildflowers served as the inspiration for what’s known as the look of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Monday, the LA28 organizing committee unveiled the boldly colored design elements that will be utilized on everything from stadiums to signage to souvenirs at the world’s next Olympics and Paralympics for athletes with disabilities.
“The superbloom mirrors the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” explained Ric Edwards, the organizing committee’s vice president of brand design and executive design director.
“When the conditions are right, everything comes together and something extraordinary happens,” Edwards said, for athletes as well as the brilliantly hued flowers that carpet California deserts after unusually wet weather ends a drought.
“That feeling of anticipation, energy and the culmination of the many moments that led them here is what inspired our Look of the Games,” he said, describing the design as “rooted in L.A., it’s mashups and multiplicity, its vastness and creativity.”
The “LA in full bloom” color palette — sagebrush, poppy, scarlet flax and bluebell — all come from a common sight along city streets, the official flower of Los Angeles, the tropical Bird of Paradise native to South Africa.
Four unique typefaces were derived from the strip malls and hand-painted signage that Edwards said “rule the streets of L.A.,” while a series of graphic patterns represent L.A., “from food to First People, natural features to feature films and the stages and sights of the city.”
It’s all supposed to feel like the host city, Geoff Engelhardt, the organizing committee’s head of brand design, said.
“L.A. is a city of incredible creativity, sitting at the intersection of sport and entertainment,” Engelhardt said. ”By embracing abstraction and emotion, we created something people can interpret in their own way and see themselves reflected in."
Utah is years away from creating a “look” for the 2034 Winter Games, although a logo that’s technically a text-based wordmark was released late last year. It’s turned out to be unpopular but is set to be revised or replaced in 2029.
When the state hosted the Olympics and Paralympics in 2002, the look was centered around the snowflake-like emblem and the muted colors of Utah’s mountains and deserts, with a theme of “contrast, culture, courage.”
High-rise buildings in downtown Salt Lake City also were “wrapped” with athlete images, including a 21-story image of a figure skater on the Church Office Building, the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.