25 years of the Olympics, 5 objects of design

On 5th June, 1992 the flame left from Olympia which would ignite the cauldron in the Montjuic Stadium. But it also ignited a renewal in Barcelona's urbanistic and architectural design, and at the same time brought a breath of fresh air to design and gave an impulse to some significant cultural, technological and industrial aspects. The Olympics placed Barcelona not only on the sporting map, but also on the design map.

A comprehensive design programme took in all signage elements: posters, furniture, uniforms and merchandise in general. There are many examples of the various objects related to the Olympics and to the design of that period preserved in the museum. Would you like to discover more from our selection?

The figure of Cobi. Designed by Mariscal four years before the Olympic Games, this Catalan sheepdog was the emblem and the hallmark in terms of graphic design. Surely you must have had it at home in various forms!

The logo. Josep Maria Trias was responsible for giving life to the Olympic spirit through the human form of an athlete, drawn with a single stroke and with the Mediterranean spirit. A curiosity: the first logo was presented in black and white, the colours would come much later.

The Olympic posters. Accompanying the idea of modernity and the Mediterranean, the entire collection of posters that were pasted all around the streets of Barcelona, came from the studio of Pilar Villuentas and Josep Ramon Gomez. The flat and vivid colours were everywhere!

The torch. The fusion of aluminium, steel and the imagination of André Ricard gave rise to the symbolic torch. It arrived at Empúries, as the Greeks had done 2,500 years ago, taking in 652 towns and cities over 29 days.

The great flight. 6,000 kilometres later and in front of millions of viewers around the world, the Olympic flame finished its journey. The cauldron in the stadium of Montjuic (designed by Ramón Bigas) was passive witness to the grand gesture, from the imagination of Carles Riart.

If you want to awaken your nostalgia for those times, you can find some of these iconic objects at the Museum’s exhibitions on product design  and graphic design.