Fred Gelli on designing an Olympic identity that connects anyone and everyone

Strategic consultancy firm Tátil Design created the Rio 2016 Olympic identity with the hearts of the people of Brazil in mind. Its founder Brazilian graphic designer Fred Gelli spent the last 25 years studying biomimicry, imitating nature’s solutions to solve human problems. Gelli and his team drew inspiration from nature’s solutions to define the design principles that inform their award-winning work.

For Design Indaba 2016, Gelli detailed the various design principles that inform the firm’s creations. From the simplicity of Coca-Cola’s Olympic identity to the firm’s own identity. “We wanted to create something without any kind of photoshop,” says Gelli as he reveals a stencil of the Tátil Design logo. Half transparent and half mirror, the stencil allows the user to create the background of the logo using their everyday surroundings.

Staying true to Tátil’s human-centred approach to design, Gelli created a multisensory experience for the 2016 Olympic identity. The 3D design reflects local culture in a way that is universally understood while it also stays true to the local landscape. “The target audience was the entire world,” said Gelli.

“It will be seen on a mobile screen in Manhattan and on a piece of paper in a remote town in Brazil. It was a huge challenge. You try to use the values that underpin the Olympics, like union and togetherness, something bigger than sport, to create something that will inspire people.”