Case Study Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games – Epic Branding & Design

Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games

We were contracted to work on site alongside the Brand + Creative team at VANOC (Vancouver Olympic Committee) for two years leading up to the winter games in 2010. It meant countless long nights and early mornings with an unbelievably massive workload, but one of the most exciting projects anyone could ever work on. Although there was an in-house design team, they were at maximum capacity, so Andi Mortenson, Owner / Creative Director of Epic Design was brought in to help relieve some of the pressure.

Challenge

The biggest challenge was the sheer amount of work that needed to be done. The majority of the work was for the Cultural Olympiad. It’s purpose was to present an exciting, innovative and accessible Olympic and Paralympic arts and cultural program and festivals thereby promoting the sustainable cultural, educational and economic well-being of the arts community and the people of Vancouver, BC and Canada. We designed several publications, banners, signage, event programs, event invites, posters and more, some of which didn’t have a fully flushed out look and feel developed when we started, and often didn’t have content available until the very last minute. We were also warned of the challenges of navigating the preferences of the arts and cultural community (white, bare aesthetic) versus the detailed (but beautiful) look developed by the VANOC Brand + Creative department.

Solution

We maintained communication with the Brand + Creative department to support overflow work, while pushing forward with the Cultural Olympiad needs. By checking in with some of the other designers and studying the multiple brand guidelines for the various programs, we were able to adhere to a consistent style and keep everything on-brand.

Results

We came to a happy medium as far as design aesthetic that all sides were happy with, and met every deadline. We were able to attend some of the events in person and see the designs in action!

Andi’s work for the 2010 Cultural Olympiad was nothing short of spectacular. Under intense deadline pressure Andi created a series of highly successful event programs, catalogues and other marketing collateral for this groundbreaking Olympic & Paralympic arts festival. Her work was consistently inspired, clean and well organized. She was always calm, pleasant and capable of discerning our needs and desires with minimal direction.

Robert L. Kerr

Previous: Program Director, Producer, Cultural Olympiad – VANOC; Current: Programming Supervisor, City Cultural Events at City of Toronto

I had the great fortune of working with Andi while I held the position as Head of Visual Arts for the Cultural Olympiad at VANOC. Andi’s company, Epic Design, created several catalogues, invitations, and other print collateral for my division. I was impressed with her ability to create excellent designs that satisfied an aesthetic specific to my industry while adhering to the corporate design standards of VANOC. Andi’s response to the pressures of working in an unusually hectic environment and under extremely tight deadlines was exceptional. She is smart, steady, unflappable, and brings a professional objectivity to her work – all of which contributed to her success with the project.

Marlene Madison

Previous: Head of Visual Arts VANOC (Vancouver Olympic Committee)

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