Special Olympics Winter Games Branding: Canada 2024*
An exploration of branding and identity, catered for the 2024 Special Olympics Canada.
Duration: 6 weeks
Completed using Adobe Illustrator
This is student work completed at Cornish College of the Arts
*I am not personally associated with or promoted by The Special Olympics
This project focused on creating branding assets and guidelines as well as promotional materials for one of the historic Olympic games, either past or future. I selected the 2024 Special Olympics as this year they took place in my hometown of Calgary, Canada. This project was heavily informed by demographic and cultural research to be relevant in the time period that the games would take place. Straying from the visual language and aesthetics I am known to use in my work, I adopted bright colours and a softer, rounder illustration style to promote fun, hope, and community.
My work was greatly influenced by the values and morals associated with the Special Olympics as well as the accessibility guidelines and aesthetic rules that Special Olympics Canada creates for these events and the supporting materials. It was important for me to create work that would not only showcase the events, but the people that participate in them. I also wanted to highlight features known to the beautiful city of Calgary, such as its reputation for sunny days and a strong sense of community and resilience. The final products for this project included three advertising posters for the games, an official mascot for the games (which has never existed for the Special Olympics) and a logo for the event to be used on promotional materials.
Process + Research
I opted to create three posters to advertise the event, two that are highly illustrative and one with a typographic focus. The posters feature bright colours to attract attention and generate excitement towards the Special Olympics Winter Games. Balancing illustration and type, these posters bring to life the sense of fun and inclusivity that the Special Olympics is proud to represent.
The illustrated posters highlight all of the events that take place at the Special Olympics Winter Games: 5-pin bowling, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoeing, and speed skating.
The font selected for the posters is Brandon Grotesque. This font was chosen to promote accessibility in the event branding as is it known to be highly legible with wide counters and a slightly rounded form.
Posters + Mockups
These assets, featuring an event mascot and custom logo for the event, help to complete the visual identity for the games. The selected colour palette is consistent for all assets, including the mascot, logo designs, and marketing posters. The colours are bright and vibrant yet balanced to create depth in the assets and overall visual identity.
The logo shape is designed after the Three Sisters Mountains, an iconic and recognisable image for Albertans.
Beau the sheep is a rocky mountain big-horned sheep, the provincial animal of Alberta. Beau promotes a strong sense of community and connectedness for the Canadian chapter of the Special Olympics games. He has a playful look and demeanour, even a few sporty looks to choose from.
