Brilliant posters that still amaze from the 1972 Munich Olympics by Otl Aicher

Date
25 May 2012

The Olympics is only a few months away and you can already feel the growing testiness from commuters, their rush hour veins pulsing with dread and fear. With the ensuing craziness hitting the capital, an influx of promotional material and olympic tributes are sure to engulf us. So to remind us how this kind of design can be done (to perfection) is Otl Aicher; pioneer of graphic design during the 20th Century and creator of the visual identity for the 1972 Munich Olympics – which, luckily for us, has been collated by seemingly anonymous gatherers.

The colour blocking with soft secondary shades layered on top of each other with sparse text is a winning combination. It’s clean and so simple and sophisticated it just makes you wonder why everything else can’t be designed as beautifully. This work is timeless and though I could gush about it all day I’ll instead let you gaze upon the wonder of some posters from the events – but I urge you to check out the rest of this website as it’s a gold mine for fantastic promotional material and memorabilia.

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Otl Aicher: Hurdles, Munich Olympics

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Otl Aicher: Swimming, Munich Olympics

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Otl Aicher: Hockey, Munich Olympics

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Otl Aicher: Basketball, Munich Olympics

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Otl Aicher: Lead poster, Munich Olympics

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Otl Aicher: Weightlifting, Munich Olympics

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Otl Aicher: Bavarian Folklore- Culture poster, Munich Olympics

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Otl Aicher: Waterskiing, Munich Olympics

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Otl Aicher: International Folklore Festival Listings poster, Munich Olympics

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About the Author

Rebecca Fulleylove

Rebecca Fulleylove is a freelance writer and editor specialising in art, design and culture. She is also senior writer at Creative Review, having previously worked at Elephant, Google Arts & Culture, and It’s Nice That.

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