There are still three weeks to go to the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but the BBC has already won a place on the medal table when it comes to design. It's teased its upcoming Olympic coverage with an ad that features a beautiful animated style for a captivating ode to Paris and to sporting passion.
The BBC’s Olympic ad references Paris landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Cœur while comparing the City of Lights' romantic reputation to the passion of athletes and the lengths they go to for their sport. It says something that the video stands out in a sporting event that's already been a feast of visual design, from the elaborately coiffured Paris 2024 Olympic Games logo to the clitoris-like mascots (also see our roundup of the best Olympics logos of all time).
Produced by BBC Creative with Nexus Studios and French director and illustrator Fx Goby, the film shows us various apparently romantic situations from a different angle. A candlelit bath turns out to be an eye bath, a couple riding on scooter merges into a cycle race. The animation has a gorgeous, meticulous handcrafted feel and is narrated by French voice actor Pierre Maubouche over a soundtrack of Edith Piaf's Hymne a l’amour, which was itself inspired by the boxer Marcel Cerdan.
The Paris 2024 Olympic games run from 26 July to 11 August. For more on the design from the event, check out the Olympics pictograms, Team GB's radical look and the new Olympics branding.
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