Sydney 2000: Sports Pictograms

Sydney 2000: Sports Pictograms

Designer: Saunders Design

The three boomerangs, which form the Millennium Man in the emblem as arms and legs, are also the main graphic element of the sports pictograms. The creative minds at Saunders Design created a total of 34 sports pictograms, one each for the 28 official sports plus six separate ones for specific disciplines. Not only the boom-erangs, but all elements bring the athletes to life in the pictograms and show the action and agility of their sport. But pictograms, as the perfect means of non-verbal, visual communication of all kinds of information, are not an invention of the present day – quite the opposite. Even in ancient times, people all over the world left pictorial information, which from today’s point of view allows the most valuable conclusions to be drawn about the life and culture of our oldest ancestors. This is especially true for the Aborigines, the Indigenous Australians, who are one of the oldest cultures in the world, with rich history and mythology.