We have been happily burrowed within the loving embrace of the 2024 Paris Olympics for about a week now, and so much has already gone down. From a spying drone scandal in women’s soccer to viral US Women’s Rugby player Ilona Maher seizing the spotlight to a Speedo-sporting swimming official who goes by “Bob the Cap Catcher” coming to the rescue, these Games are the gift that keeps on giving.
Paris 2024 has also provided us with much to chew on by way of design. We’ve got state-of-the-art facilities in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, dazzling looks and fits on athletes, and a unique Opening Ceremony on the Seine that was just so French. Of course, there have been far less successful design displays, including questionable kits and even aspects of the Games’ overall branding.
We’ve compiled a non-exhaustive list of some of the good and bad design we’ve clocked so far from our couches. Let’s get into it!
The Good
The Opening Ceremony
For the first time ever, the Olympics Opening Ceremony unfolded on a body of water. While there had been a fair amount of skepticism around the cleanliness of the Seine leading up to the Games, most of that concern seemed to float away during the show, as the Opening Ceremony delivered a true, avant-garde spectacle. Paris served as the stage for the production, with the athletes sailing down the Seine on boats in the Parade of Nations. The Passerelle Debilly bridge turned into a runway for a fashion show with a Last Supper vignette that featured drag queens, differently abled performers, and bodies of all sizes and shapes. The state of Mississippi wasn’t a fan of the progressive re-imagination and pulled all of its advertising from the Olympics, but we thought the vignette was a poignant highlight.
In our humble opinion, the show’s high point was an operatic thrash-metal tribute to Marie Antoinette that portrayed the famously guillotined Queen of France singing the French revolutionary song “Ça ira” while headless. That it took place in the Conciergerie, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the place of Antoinette’s imprisonment during the French Revolution was an added stroke of genius, right down to the blood-red streamers exploding from the structure.
The Medals
The medals that winning athletes receive are arguably one of the most important designs at each Olympic Games. Outside of the fun, zig-zag textured face of these Paris 2024 medals, each contains a small Eiffel Tower fragment. Iron that had been removed and preserved during renovations made to the Eiffel Tower over the last century has been infused—18 grams (0.04 pounds), in fact— into each and every medal. How cool is that?
USA Women’s Gymnastics Leotards
While all eyes have been on the breathtaking athletic abilities of these women, we couldn’t help but marvel at the gorgeous leotards Team USA sported. We found the rhinestone star-spangled navy blue designs pictured above particularly fetching, with each stone catching the light magnificently as Simone Biles and her comrades spiral through the air.
Stadiums and Facilities
Given that these Olympic Games are playing out in one of the most gorgeous cities in the world, it’s not surprising that many of the stadiums and facilities are true knock-outs in their own right. The brightly colored pastel palette of the Games’ branding has been incorporated into many of these venues, making for fun and vibrant backdrops as the best athletes in the world compete.
Pierre Mauroy Stadium Basketball courts
Our favorite part about these gorgeous basketball courts is the textile-like pattern repeated throughout the arch, punctuated by the turquoise rectangle marking the foul-shot line. We also love the subtle touch of lavender accent details throughout the space.
Place de la Concorde Skateboard Course
The Games’ skateboard arena uses the same color palette as the basketball courts, bringing a sense of calm to the concrete and infusing an otherwise gritty sport with softness.
Volleyball Eiffel Tower Stadium
This photo speaks for itself. Beach volleyball at the base of the Eiffel Tower? It doesn’t get much better than that!
Grand Palais Fencing Facility
The Grand Palais is already a historic site whose construction began in 1897 for the Universal Exposition of 1900. Add a duo of dueling fencers to the foreground, and you have the ultimate view.
Place de la Concorde BMX Freestyle Course
This sea of lavender slopes is so soothing and adds an air of intrigue when juxtaposed with the tenacity of BMX riders.
The Olympic and Paralympic Village Playground
We all know things are getting a little rowdy inside the Olympic Village, but what’s more exciting to us is the design of this playground on the premises. Olympic and Paralympic athletes need a spot to relax and unwind after achieving glory, and this is just the place.
USA Soccer Player Trinity Rodman’s Hair
USA soccer star Trinity Rodman was already known for her style and swag before these Olympics, but she upped her game to even greater heights with the choice to go with long, pastel pink braids on the world’s biggest stage.
Great Britain Diver Tom Daley’s Hand-Knit Sweater
Anyone paying attention to swimming and diving in Paris already knows about fan favorite Tom Daley, a diver for Great Britain. This is the second consecutive Games in which the 5x Olympic medalist has sought refuge in the stands with his knitting needles, creating a kitschy keepsake to memorialize his time in Paris. Daley is far from a knitting novice, as he has his own clothing line called Made With Love By Tom Daley. Some people are just good at everything!
South Korea Sharpshooter Kim Yeji’s Eyewear
Some might say South Korean Sharpshooter Kim Yeji broke the internet with her aura last week, taking home the silver medal in the 10-meter air pistol women’s event while looking like the next big star of an action movie franchise. Her Sci-Fi-looking eyeglasses were a major contributor to her arresting coolness, which had all of us collectively swooning.
USA Track Runner Sha’Carri Richardson’s Nails
While the one and only Sha’Carri Richardson has yet to take to the track, she already gave us a sneak peek of her always statement-making nails at the Opening Ceremony. If we know one thing about Richardson, it’s that she will run incredibly fast, and she will be wearing a mesmerizing set of nails as she does so.
The Bad
2024 Paris Olympics Logo
Upheaval surrounded the 2024 Paris Olympics logo well before the Games began. The general concept of the logo was to meld two symbols associated with the games—a gold medal and the Olympic torch—with Marianne, a figure that represents the French Republic. While these intentions seem well and good, the finished product is odd. Many have been comparing the logo to a “Karen,” with a prissy hairstyle that harkens to suburban moms on their kids’ school PTA boards. The logo isn’t sophisticated or classy in the slightest, especially when coupled with the Games’ attempt at an Art-Deco-inspired brand typeface.
The Phryge Mascots
Did you know that the Paris Olympics has an official mascot? They sure do! But not one that makes any sense. The mascot for these Games consists of a pair of anthropomorphic Phrygian caps, a beloved cultural symbol of France. You can see they were trying to think outside the box here, but where they landed is just downright befuddling. More than hats, these puffy characters look like amorphous red blobs that elicit confusion, not French pride.
Team France’s Opening Ceremony Garb
As we’ve already discussed, there was much to take in during the Opening Ceremony, but we can’t un-see the questionable outfits the French athletes wore as they floated down the Seine. Why are the blazers sleeveless? We’ll never know. More than anything, these look like flight attendant outfits gone terribly wrong.
Japan’s Soccer Jerseys
Every major world soccer tournament blesses us with a fresh batch of kit designs, but some don’t hit the mark. Japan’s soccer teams are wearing jerseys this tournament that look a bit too much like they’re smeared with blood. The design motif might have worked in another color, but the red on white doesn’t land.
US Soccer’s Olympics Branding
We’re thrilled by how well the USWNT is doing in Paris, advancing to the tournament’s quarterfinals with three wins in three games. We’re less thrilled about the branding the US Soccer Federation rolled out for the Games, which is too close to funeral home aesthetics for comfort.
Michael Phelps’ Hair
Michael Phelps might be the best swimmer of all time, but that doesn’t give him the right to do whatever he wants with his hair … Or maybe it does!