Special Olympics: 2022 US Games logo design by Publicis Seattle

Publicis Seattle was tasked with putting together a logo for the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando. The agency and Special Olympics USA Games Organizing Committee decided that it needed input from the athletes, so it enlisted nine artistic and talented Special Olympians to help work on the logo.

For the first time in the organization’s 50-year history, the logo is inspired and designed by Special Olympics athletes. Athletes from across the country gathered for a three-day workshop in Orlando, where they joined forces with professional designers from Publicis Seattle, to provide the vision for the 2022 USA Games logo, as well as the primary color palette that explodes with life.

A mini documentary of the process was made by Iranian-American filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi, who is best known for her 2018 Academy Award-winning documentary short Period. End of Sentence. It shows the joy and talent the designer-athletes brought to the table and how a combination of their designs went into the final product. This unique approach to developing the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games logo served as the perfect platform to unlock the creativity and confidence of the Special Olympics athletes.

The final design represents the natural elements of Florida culminating in a fiery spark of the Special Olympics spirit.