June 07, 2007
London 2012 Logo: Look At Your Own Risk
The newly unveiled logo for the 2012 Summer Games in London is just sickening. Literally.
A promotional video starring the neon-colored, jagged-edged image has prompted nearly 20 complaints from people claiming the animation set off seizures. Noted neurophysicist Graham Harding told BBC News that the ad failed a machine test used by the TV industry to test images for safety. A nonprofit group called Epilepsy Action called for the logo to be scrapped after receiving "numerous complaints" of seizures from viewers of the ad.
And in an ominous statement, the group warned organizers against allowing the logo to be broadcast worldwide as planned. "We are concerned that the animated footage will not just be shown in the UK, where half a million people in the population have epilepsy, but it will also be shown all over the world."
"28 Days Later," anyone?
The dangerous animation was just the icing on the crumpet for many Britons, who were aghast that organizers had OK'd the still logo, "described as graffiti, derided as 'a mess' and likened to two Simpsons characters engaged in a sexual act," the Guardian's Tim Dowling wrote. The choice was a bit strange, really, considering London's quickly becoming a world leader in architecture and design.
Nearly 50,000 people signed a petition asking "the London Olympic committee to scrap and change the ridiculous logo," but the petition was closed yesterday after it became clear to organizers the weirdly retro logo was here to stay.
A mash-up with the opening credits from "Saved By The Bell" is already on You Tube. A news segment showing more of the promotional video can be seen here. The Gate is not liable for any damages.
