Olympic logo fiasco
Okay. I've waited. I've looked again. I didn't want to jump on a populist tabloid-led bandwagon. I've given this plenty of thought. And I've given it some more time.
But I still think the logo for the London 2012 Olympics (left) is the biggest piece of design crapulence I've ever had the misfortune to view.
It's appaling.
An abomination.
Ugly beyond measure.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that it cost £400,000 to develop. And I'm far from alone in this opinion. In fact, in jut two days, 48,615 people disgned an online petition to have it replaced. Then the BBC invited the public to send in their own attempts, which can be seen here. Some are so much more appropriate than the real thing, it's depressing.
Aside from the visceral impact this thing has on all people with even a sniff of taste, the animated version actually led to over 20 people suffering epileptic seizures before it was pulled from TV. Not a joke. It actually happened. And as someone who has epilepsy, I don't think it's particularly amusing or inconsequential.
Meanwhile it was disclosed yesterday that at least 22 people experienced seizures after watching an animated film promoting the 2012 Olympics shown at the logo's launch on Monday.
Leeds-based Epilepsy Action said one person vomited after seeing the flashing multi-coloured footage and another five complained of migraines.
A spokeswoman for the charity said a seizure could have a "major impact" on epilepsy sufferers' lives, potentially leading to them losing their driving licences.
The animated footage - showing a diver plunging into a pool - was removed from the official London 2012 website after the complaints.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the company that produced the film which triggered the seizures should not be paid "a penny" for its "catastrophic mistake".
What in God's name was wrong with the original logo, used to get us the games in the first place?
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