A Century of Olympic Posters [Paperback]

Margaret Timmers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2008

As snapshots through time, Olympic posters provide a fascinating record of our world, a lens through which we can explore links between sports and art, politics and place, commerce and culture. A Century of Olympic Posters offers an intensely visual representation of the modern Games, and shows the evolution of the Olympic Games poster as well, from the first official poster for Stockholm in 1912 right up to the present.

This diverse range of images includes official posters for the Summer and Winter Games set in their historical context, and linked to pervading themes such as politics, commerce, the Olympic symbols, cultural and physical diversity, and urban regeneration.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This beautiful book would make a great gift for anyone with an artistic eye' The Independent 'This is a fascinating topic ... beautifully designed' Daily Telegraph 'Definitely one worth poring over' Grafik --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Margaret Timmers is a curator based in the Word & Image Department of the V&A. She is the editor of Impressions of the Twentieth Century and Power of the Poster.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: V & A Publishing (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851775382
• ISBN-13: 978-1851775385
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.5 x 10.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,922,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The five rings of competition July 6, 2010

By Robin Benson

Format:Paperback

It took some years for the Olympic rings to make an appearance on a poster. Hugo Laubi designed one for the 1928 Winter Olympics at Saint Moritz where the rings appeared for the first time on a white flag. They had been around since 1912 when Pierre de Coubertin thought of the design. The interlocking circles have to be one of the world's great logos, simple, elegant and recognized everywhere.

Since 1928 the rings appear on most Olympic posters, either as part of the design or discretely as part of the capitol and country text, usually at the bottom of the sheet. I doubt it could get any smaller than for the Sydney 2000 games, small enough to miss completely. Oddly, I thought, there are no posters in the book with the logo as the totally dominant theme of a poster. The nearest use like this is the Montreal 1976 one designed by Ernst Roch and Rolf Harder. The poster looks wonderful with the rings having a slightly pulsating look on a white background.

Margaret Timmers knows her stuff because she has written a very knowledgeable and comprehensive survey of the games and each poster. The 150 in the book take the story right up to date with the London 2012 logo as the last one. I don't think it's until the sixties that the poster designs start to be vibrant and exciting. Yusaku Kamekura's stunning sprint start photo for Tokyo 1964 games maybe inspired other designers to come up with great designs in the following decades. I always wonder if the bureaucracy of the IOC stifles creativity, they have to please and not offend anyone.

I thought this was an interesting and thorough book that'll interest designers and others who work in an international graphics arena.

***LOOK INSIDE THE BOOK by clicking 'customer images' under the cover.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Century of Olympic Posters June 11, 2010

By Malcom G. R.

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I collect various Olympic items including Olympic Posters. This is a good introduction of Olympic Posters.