Turning a Row of Desks into a Showcase for the 2024 Olympic Games

Signage, Healthcare & Sport, Public & Politic
Délégation Générale aux Jeux Olympiques de Paris
Paris, France, 2018
Photographer : Julien Correia

In June 2018, in order to prepare for the 2024 Games, the delegation to the Olympic and Paralympic Games of the City of Paris took possession of an entire floor of offices. This very functional row of desks with an outdated decoration seemed like a dull showcase, in contrast of the reputation of sport.

We were called at the last minute to transform the space. Inspired by both the lines of the sports fields and Otl Aicher’s pictographic creations, we create a family of thread pictograms that evoked different disciplines. We combined it with a range of five bright colors.

The spaces were renamed, each department becoming a “team” of collaborators and assigned a sign and a color. Large colored flat areas on the doors and giant pictograms broke up the monotony of the corridors. These colors were also used in small touches inside the rooms. The visual identity extended beyond the offices: the chosen colors were applied to the landing, and the elevator doors were dressed like sports fields. This universe became the identity of the delegation, who also entrusted us with the graphic work of its stationery.