Knowing Your Audience: Lessons from Olympic Imagery

Featured in the Jan/Feb. issue of Communication Arts magazine is the official visual identity for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. The “Look of the Games” was created by the Atlanta-based firm Iconologic and will be on buildings, buses, athletes gear and uniforms, medal podiums, tickets and anything else that has to do with the event. For a few short weeks, the imagery will define the look of Torino for all who attend or participate in the games.

What stands out in the imagery for me is the beautiful use of layering that creates depth and dimension, colors that represent action and temperature, and sophisticated style reflective of those who live in Torino.



Imagine creating thousands of images that must work on many different platforms. It all represents years of work that the world only sees for a few weeks, but that reflects the spirit of a city and the identity of an event. It also becomes part of the history of the Games.

Before anyone could craft a single image, the creators had to get to know their audience very well. It’s a key lesson for all journalists to remember.

Don’t even begin a project without asking yourself who will read/use this. How will they use it? How will they see it?

In the case of the Olympics, the audience is enormous and incredibly diverse.

Television viewers make up the largest audience of the games. Millions of people will tune in to watch their favorite event or go online to check out the latest standings and medal count.  Consequently, the visuals must translate well on television, on the Web and in still photography. They become a reflection of the host city and of the excitement of the competition.



Then there are the spectators and atheletes. How will they experience and use visual elements on the ground? For them, the visuals also have to function as practical way-finding devices to important events and essential locales such as restrooms. The diversity of languages at the games makes clear visual representation that much more important.

Audience awareness is essential for a publication to decide how to play the games in print and online. Curling may not be as popular in Florida as, say, Wisconson or Minnesota. A full page graphic explaining the intricacies of the sport probably isn’t the best use of space for Sunbelt papers. A resource box with links to Web sites that explain curling may be a better option.

As the images from Torino suggest, in fact, critical decisions about content and presentation begin with the same first step: understanding your audience.