The 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, were the first Winter Games held in the country. The official emblem for the Games was unveiled on May 3, 2013, at simultaneous ceremonies in Seoul and PyeongChang, and it was used across all official communications through the end of the Games.[1][2]
Design and History
The emblem was designed by South Korean designer Ha Jong-joo, who was credited with masterminding the development process of the emblem.[2][3] The PyeongChang Organizing Committee (POCOG) began developing the emblem in May 2012, following the IOC technical manual. After a public design competition and review by experts and scholars from South Korea and abroad, the final design was submitted to the IOC in December 2012. The IOC approved the emblem on January 21, 2013.[1]
The design draws on Hangul, the Korean alphabet. The shapes that form the logo stem from the first consonants of each syllable in the word “PyeongChang” when written in Hangul: “ㅍ” (pieup) from “Pyeong” and “ㅊ” (chieut) from “Chang.”[2][4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The first character, “ㅍ,” represents a gathering place where the three elements of Korea’s traditional humanism, called “cheon-ji-in” (heaven, earth and human), are in harmony.[1][4] The second character, “ㅊ,” symbolizes snow and ice, as well as the athletes’ stellar performances.[1][2] The Korea Herald reported that the consonant for “Chang” is drawn to look like a star, while the Pratt Institute analysis describes the star shape as representing a snowflake with a stick-man quality suggestive of winter athletes.[1][3]
The emblem uses five traditional Korean colors: white, black, blue/green, yellow and red. This color scheme reflects the colors of the Olympic flag. Traditionally, blue and green were represented by a single word in Hangul, though separate words now exist for each color.[1][2]
Typography and Design
An official typeface for the Games, called PyeongChang2018, was created for the event. According to the Olympic Games branding guidelines for rights holding broadcasters, the typeface PyeongChang2018 was specified for rendering designations in English, while Yoon Gothic 700 was specified for Korean text.[5]
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