By Katie Dominy / 09-10-2008

Pictograms from Vancouver

Twenty-four sport pictograms and a series of sports illustrations designed by I’m JAC Design from Rotterdam are unveiled in Vancouver as a key part of the graphic identity of the 2010 Winter Games.

Irene Jacobs of I’m JAC Design from Rotterdam took up the open challenge to designers to develop the pictograms, posted by the Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC). Jacobs went through two rounds of proposals before being finally chosen as the winner to create the graphic designs.

The twenty-four sport pictograms will be used in maps, wayfinding, signage and publications, while the detailed illustrations are an extension of each pictogram.

'The sport illustrations bring the athletes to life in a way that’s never been done before,' said Leo Obstbaum, the VANOC director of design. 'We were inspired by everything from Canadian art to comic book heroes to the graphic style of some of the edgier sports equipment and fashion. We posted a request for proposals, and selected an incredibly talented illustrator - Irene Jacobs from Im-jac.com. Her style matched our concept, and she understood perfectly what we wanted to portray.'

'The detailed illustrations are full colour and bring expression, emotion and even greater dynamics to the athlete’s image. Everything was done by hand in the beginning, in the form of beautiful sketches. They were then translated into computer illustrations, which took hundreds of hours to perfect, but the result is very dramatic', Obstbaum continues.

'My favorite is the hockey player, it was the first one and a lot of emotions were involved. It will always remind me of how I felt at that moment, very nervous and insecure and extremely exited and eager, for me it represents that dreams can come true,' says Irene.

All images courtesy of VANOC

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