First we had the 2012 Olympic brand identity, which is really very, very bad - appalling in fact - and therefore a national disgrace not to mention an embarrassment given our collective creative credentials. And now we have the Olympic posters and I really want to write that their appearance has eased the embarrassment, but I can't.
I've swallowed another chunk of my tongue and I can't afford to lose anymore, so chocks away.
It's not an original concept - getting different designers and artists to 'do' a poster - Los Angeles did it in 1984...badly. Nor does its unoriginality make it a bad idea. We have world-famous artists - let’s underscore our creativity. I get it. But it becomes a bad idea when a) ideas are thin on the ground b) there is seemingly no direction c) the authorship is so subtle it's almost invisible d) when the images (or the art as must call it) is mostly piss-poor.
Some of the offerings are so lame (yes I'm talking about you Michael Craig-Martin and Anthea Hamilton and Martin Creed to name but three) that they wouldn't make it onto the wall of a GCSE art room.
What seems to have happened here is that the scared cows have been allowed to present any old tosh because of who they are. 'It's Tracey so it must be good.' Bullshit.
That the sporting activities are not the main feast is not the issue, since the spirit, aspirations and philosophy of the games is just as valid. But when one thinks of all the brilliant designers contained within this island and the wit they could have brought to this body of work it makes you want to reach for the Wilkinson Sword.
If they really wanted to use artists, then this work would have been so much better had they been paired with great designers. Double whammy.
Whoever briefed, directed and sanctioned this should have taken a look at the London Transport Museum poster collection before briefing and made 'them' look at it too. And if they did, they weren’t really paying attention, were they.
So it's down to the (already) award-winning Olympic architects, engineers, landscapers, construction workers and Danny Boyle and Co to save the creative day, because I’m afraid that the communications stuff would struggle to win the egg and spoon.
Links
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/11/04/london-2012-official-olympics-and-paralympics-posters-unveiled-which-is-your-favourite-115875-23537494/
http://www.ltmcollection.org/posters/index.html
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