When I think of my favourite posters, it’s usually one of a movie: Titanic, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Transformers come to mind.

But before the advent of special effects in movies and long before the Internet came along, posters were actually a very important medium for communication.

They were used as advertisements and for branding-building, and key to getting the word out to the public.

And for the Olympic Games, the posters are like colourful pages of a beautifully illustrated history text.

Since the first modern Games in Athens 1896, there has been a poster to chronicle every Olympic Games held.

The very first Modern Olympic Games, Athens, 1896.

Each poster tells the story of Olympic presence in world history.

The images reflect the host country’s culture and historic events taking place at the time.

Also, these posters have mirrored the various artistic influences that were popular in the different eras

World History

Take a closer look at the posters of the games held during the years leading up to, during, and after World War II, and you would see good examples of how the posters reflect the times and its place in history.

The poster for the Berlin Olympic Games, 1936.

This was possibly one of the most controversial games of the 20th Century.

The games were held at the time a certain Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in Germany.

He promoted the Fascist Ideology (belief in the superiority of the White Race) and was accused of the horrific execution of millions of Jews, which came to be known as the Holocaust.

Hitler seized control of all aspects of German life, including sport. In those years, all sport imagery featured and idealised well-muscled, blue-eyed blondes, with angular features typical of the white ethnicity (or Aryans).

In fact, in the years leading up to the games, it was the Nazification of sport in Germany as the Nazi Regime banned all non-aryans from participating and engaging in sport activities and clubs.

The poster above features the Brandenburg Gate, a landmark of Berlin, and an athlete with said angular features.

The 1948 Winter Olympic Games, St. Moritz, Switzerland.

When World War II broke out, the Olympic Games was put off. For a whopping 12 years.
When it seemed like the right time to revive the games, many countries were still recovering from the effects of war.

But, athletes performed exceedingly well, despite the long absence of the games.

And that same sense of optimism, positive spirit, and rejuvenation from the end of the war is reflected in the poster design.

Art

The Olympic Poster design for the Mexico Games, 1968.

With the war well behind us, and the swinging sixties at its prime, the poster for the Mexico Games of '68 did a great job capturing the psychedelia of the era, making use of Optical Art.

It also helped create a very strong graphic identity for the games and was used widely in promotional material.

Culture

For the 1972 Sapporo Winter Games, Japan was featured neatly in the posters, with simple use of shapes to create images representing the Rising Sun and winter elements.

The poster art for the Sapporo Winter Games, 1972.

The Japanese Government had invested a lot in the Winter games, and famous Japanese designers were invited to come up with the official poster design. Takashi Kono designed this particular one.

Posters were never just pretty pictures. They are great
storytellers as well.

For more images of the Olympic Posters, you can go through the Memorabilia archive on the official Olympic Games website here.

Source:

Timmers, M. A Century of Olympic Posters. V&A Publishing.

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