Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizers on Monday chose logo A -- a stark indigo-and-white checkered circle -- as the Games’ "replacement emblem after the original design was scrapped last year amid claims of plagiarism," according to Andrew McKirdy of the JAPAN TIMES. The Tokyo 2020 Logo Selection Committee "chose the logo from a shortlist of four following a competition open to any resident of Japan aged over 18." Almost "15,000 entries were submitted." The winning logo was designed by Asao Tokolo, a 46-year-old artist "whose works have featured in several exhibitions and who graduated in architecture from Tokyo Zokei University." The design comprises 45 interconnecting pieces "forming a checkered pattern known as ichimatsu moyou." Use of the color indigo is intended "to express a refined elegance and sophistication that exemplifies Japan." The Logo Selection Committee, "featuring members drawn from the worlds of sports, design and business, held a vote Monday morning before presenting its recommendation to the Tokyo 2020 executive board for final approval." Tokolo’s design "received 13 votes, while logo B had one, logo C two and logo D five" (JAPAN TIMES, 4/25). In N.Y., Eleanor Warnock reported the logo "do-over was another snag in already bumpy preparations for Tokyo's second Summer Games" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/25). In London, Esther Addley reported speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Tokolo said that his mind had “gone blank” when he found out his design had been selected. Tokolo said, "I put a lot of time and effort into this design as though it was my own child" (GUARDIAN, 4/25). REUTERS' Minami Funakoshi reported the committee that chose the emblem said that the individually-shaped rectangles in the design represented differences in culture and nationalities and symbolized "unity in diversity." A "dispute over the original logo erupted soon after it was unveiled last July," when a Belgian-based designer said that "it was too similar to his emblem for a theater, demanding its use be halted and filing a lawsuit in local court." The logo's designer, Kenjiro Sano, and Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizers "denied the pattern had been copied but eventually scrapped it, saying its reputation was too damaged to be used" (REUTERS, 4/25).
MIXED REACTIONS: KYODO reported the official emblem "received mixed reaction from the Japanese public and art critics." Some people said that the logo, a navy-colored check design with its roots in feudal Japan's Edo period, has "a traditional Japanese touch," while the others said it is "a bit somber." Independent businessman Kazuyoshi Asada said, "I think it evokes the image of something with movement, something flaring." Art critic Takemi Kuresawa offered a compliment, saying, "It's simplistic and easy to understand. The use of just one color gives a strength and intensity to the logo." Advertising design critic Koichi Kawajiri said that the four designs on the shortlist "did not really have a strong presence" (KYODO, 4/25).
