As my diploma project, I designed the visual identity for a fictional 2026 Winter Olympic Games hosted in Anchorage, Alaska. I deliberately chose a country that has previously hosted multiple Winter Olympics, as the United States provides a strong historical and cultural framework that allows for a more nuanced and context-sensitive visual representation.
My objective was to create a complex, multi-platform visual system that functions consistently across print and digital applications, encompassing the emblem, a responsive logo system, iconography, and a modular layout structure. The scale of the Olympic Games provided an ideal context for developing a large-scale yet coherent and adaptable identity system.
The central question of the project was how Alaska’s Indigenous visual culture could form the structural foundation of the identity while remaining globally accessible and interpretable. Local formal and compositional principles were integrated as conceptual building blocks within the graphic logic, sign system, and overall visual structure.
The identity is strongly typography-driven, built on a highly communicative approach. Typography functions not only as an informational tool but as a core identity-forming element, establishing clear hierarchy, strong legibility, and consistent adaptability across various media environments.
The final emblem is based on the motif of a spark, symbolizing the athletes’ inner fire and determination. The form represents both a beginning and the moment when talent emerges onto the global stage. Its star-like structure subtly references the Northern Lights, creating a visual bridge between local context and international representation.
