London 2012 just ended and everyone will now look forward to the next olympics in Rio 2016. I would like to share a very close inside look on how the branding for Rio was done, that were 139 agencies in the fight to design this brand and Tatil Design nailed it.

THE CHALLENGE

THE DREAM PROJECT

Imagine a brand born with a huge challenge: to represent the Passion and Transformation of a city and an entire country, and project these values to the rest of the world.

A brand that must express unity. Inspire achievement and optimism. Avoid clichés and present Rio de Janeiro as the site of the largest sporting event in the world — to its very own Cariocas, and to athletes and people around the world.

This important and much coveted project united 138 Brazilian design and branding companies around a shared dream: to design the brand that would become part of our city’s history and of the history of the Olympic Games.

That was the beginning of the project that granted Tátil the pleasure and privilege of creating the brand for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

THE PROCESS

RESEARCH, BRAINSTORMING, CO-CREATION.

THE TÁTIL WAY OF BUILDING A BRAND

By using design and branding as powerful tools, Tátil designs ideas that connect people and brands in a sustainable fashion, creating memorable experiences.

Tátil believes that in order to maintain sustainable relationships with its target audiences, brands need to take social responsibility and contribute to the transformation of our current scenario.

More than design, more than form, each brand must have a soul and a purpose.

We work as a multidisciplinary creative team, combining innovation with in-depth research, to ensure that we reveal the goal behind each brand.

A vision of the future, reflected in a series of daily guidelines and practices, serves to strengthen the brand’s presence in people’s lives and its commitment to transforming the present, thus generating value for all people.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

This thought process guided us throughout the creative process.

We brought together a multidisciplinary team in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

We researched the universe of the brand and its previous incarnations, as well as other competitions and international events.

We wanted to truly understand the underlying structures behind Passion, Transformation and the Cariocas.

We created several Rio 2016 planets and pollinated each one with multiple references, concepts, trends and articles.

We conducted brainstorming sessions to discover its essence, its purpose and explore how to create relevant expressions and experiences.

More than 40 people, including strategists, designers and editors, participated in the process.

The team exchanged the best references and further developed these collectively.

The final brand was the result of a truly collaborative effort.

THE SOLUTION

PASSION AND TRANSFORMATION

After consolidation of our findings, we selected a simple yet powerful idea as our inspiration: what distinguishes our city and makes the Olympic Games a truly grand event are the people, their nature, their feelings and dreams.

That’s why we created a truly human brand.

We were born from a mixture of ethnicities. We warmly embrace all ethnicities, faiths and generations. We share our sky, our ocean and our happiness with the world. This human warmth, which is part of the Carioca nature and the Olympic spirit, is shaped by the exuberant nature of a city that inspires us to live passionately and carefree, and loves to share and engage with others.

The natural beauty of our landscape is embodied by the brand and its color palette. Yellow symbolizes the sun and our warm, vivacious and happy nature. Blue expresses the fluidity of the water that surrounds us, and our easygoing way of life. Green represents our forests and hope, a positive vision that inspires us to go even further.

Together, different countries, athletes and peoples embrace in an individual and collective motion that reveals one of our city’s landmarks — a vibrant Sugarloaf, pulsating with joy, union, celebration and friendship.

This landmark comes to life and gains a three-dimensional perspective, with volume and cut-outs. Contours create the topography of the city in our imagination. A brand-sculpture, infinite, that gains textures and shapes, transforming into an object; a playful brand that can be experienced.

The expressive graphic wordmark with interconnected fluid letters reinforces the desire for unity and the warm human essence of the brand, reflecting the friendly and hospitable nature of the Carioca. The exclusive graphic design offers a unique combination of excellence and spontaneity, inspiration and attention to detail.

Inspired by Rio’s nature, the athletes and its people, the Brand of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games evokes unity, inspires the will and desire to work together, to share our knowledge and talents, to join forces and ambitions for a sustainable way of life that will transform the present and our future.

It’s a brand that embodies unity, transformation, passion and energy. It’s a large collective network in motion, an invitation and inspiration to Rio and the world.