with the 2010 olympic games in vancouver only days away, designboom has an exclusive inside look
at the design process behind the olympic medals. while the final medal design by omer arbel office was
unveiled a few weeks ago, OAO actually proposed two design concepts that were rejected by the
vancouver olympic committee.

http://www.omerarbel.com


medal proposal 1 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games

the first proposal began as conceptual point of departure based on the jewelry archetype of the locket.
the medal would be made from two parts that would be held together with hidden magnets. the two sides
would match together to form a small cavity that would allow the winning athlete to keep a small
keepsake such as a photograph or lucky charm within. each medal would have been individually
manufactured so each one was completely unique. a small pendant shaped like the cavity within the
medal could have also been worn on a day-to-day basis, as a reminder of the medal. while this design
presented a very unique proposal, manufacturing constraints, conservatism and budget concerns forced
the design office to create a second concept.


medal proposal 1 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games

the second iteration of the design also used two undulating surfaces held together with magnets,
representing in abstraction the landscape of vancouver. it was also accompanied by an inner pendant
but rather than each medal being completely unique in form, the design proposed a series of set forms.
this step of the process also saw the introduction of the overlaid artwork by aboriginal artist corrine hunt.
this allowed each medal to remain unique  through their combination of artwork and form, while
simplifying the manufacturing.


medal proposal 1 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games

however despite the effectiveness of the second proposal, a final proposition was created which is the
final design for the olympic medals being awarded. this re-proposition maintained the undulating form
for the medal surface (unfortunately identical for each individual medal), with a laser etched, unique
‘crop’ of corrine hunt’s master artwork (still reproduced as a ‘larger canvas’) on each individual piece.
 

medal proposal 1 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games


medal proposal 2 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games


medal proposal 2 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games


medal proposal 2 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games


medal proposal 2 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games


medal proposal 2 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games


medal proposal 2 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games


medal proposal 2 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games


medal proposal 2 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games


medal proposal 2 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games


medal proposal 2 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games


medal proposal 2 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games


medal proposal 2 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games


medal proposal 2 for the 2010 vancouver olympic games


the final medal designs for the 2010 vancouver olympic games