The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially the X Olympic Winter Games, were held in Grenoble, France, from February 6 to 18, 1968. The official emblem for the Games was designed by French graphic designer and typographer Roger Excoffon, who was commissioned by the Grenoble Organising Committee to create a mark evoking both the theme of winter and the city of Grenoble.[1]
Design and History
The emblem combines a snow crystal with three red roses, the symbol of Grenoble, positioned above the Olympic rings.[2] Excoffon was asked to evoke, in addition to Olympism, the theme of winter and the town of Grenoble. He chose to represent Grenoble through the three roses found in its coat of arms, arranging them around a snow crystal.[1]
The Olympic Museum’s description of the official poster notes that the emblem appears above the Olympic symbol, combining the city’s symbol, the three roses, with rose leaves arranged as a snow crystal.[3] The full emblem included the inscription identifying the X Olympic Winter Games and Grenoble 1968, with the Olympic rings positioned below the central motif.[4]
Excoffon’s emblem was also used on the official winner’s medals for the Grenoble Games. The obverse of the medal featured the official emblem and the inscription “Xes Jeux Olympiques d’hiver – Grenoble 1968.”[5] The reverse of each medal carried a pictogram representing the specific sport, a first in Olympic history.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The snow crystal provides the winter reference central to a Winter Olympics emblem, while the three red roses connect the identity directly to the host city. Contemporary Olympic Review documentation states that Excoffon was asked to evoke the theme of winter and the town of Grenoble, and that he decided to evoke Grenoble through the three roses contained in its coat of arms.[1] The Olympic Museum’s description of the official poster further notes that the emblem combines the city’s symbol, the three roses, with rose leaves forming a snow crystal, allowing the winter symbol and the civic emblem to interact within a single composition.[3]
Typography and Design
Typography was integrated into the full emblem through the inscription identifying the X Olympic Winter Games and Grenoble 1968, which surrounded or accompanied the central snow crystal and roses.[4] Official Olympic documentation does not identify a specific named typeface used for the Games inscription. Excoffon was a significant figure in French graphic design and typography of the twentieth century, and his role as designer of the Grenoble emblem is confirmed by the Olympic Museum’s collection records and contemporary Olympic Review reports.[2][1]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
