Wait, the Olympic rings weren't always the same colours?

The Olympic rings design
(Image credit: International Olympic Committee)

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are about to commence, and we'll soon be seeing a lot of the Olympic rings, the emblem that has accompanied the world's greatest sporting spectacle for over a century.

The Olympic rings have long been one of the most recognised sports logos in the world. But many people are surprised to learn that they haven't always looked exactly as they do today (the image above) The design has been tweaked twice since the rings were created back in 1913 (also see our pieces on the first Olympics logo and the best Olympics logos of all time). They've also been interpreted in different ways in some of the best Olympics posters.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

TOPICS
Joe Foley

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

Latest in Graphic Design
Tesla Cybertruck
Why some Tesla owners are covering up the logo
Magnum billboards on a roadside
Magnum abducts our radio waves with ingenious sonic branding ad
Korean Air new logo in use
Korean Air rebrands for the first time since the '80s
Snow White film poster
Hear me out, but I'm actually fawning over Snow White's posters
Double Arrow plus Union Jack design for Great British Railways
The Great British Railways logo has a lot riding on it. Here's how it could look
An image of an optical illusion showing circles and squares that look different sizes
Graphic designers need to know about these typographical optical illusions
Latest in News
Sonic Adventure Redux
I'm not saying this Sonic Adventure Unreal Engine 5 remake is the best thing I've ever seen, but I'm not not saying it either
Screenshot from InZOI video game
Nvidia's AI characters are about to transform how we see video games
An image from Half-life 2 RTX demo
Nvidia to show off powerful video game remix capabilities in Half-life 2 RTX demo
iOS 19 concept
Apple's dramatic iPhone homescreen redesign is long overdue
iPhone 13 Pro
Apple tells iPhone users to urgently update iOS – your phone is vulnerable to attack
Trump stood in front of a red Tesla next to Elon Musk
Trump and Elon’s White House ad proves Tesla is getting desperate