8. WORST: SOCHI’S QUILT-LIKE
BRANDING
Speaking of the rainbow diamonds plastered all over
this year’s Olympic poster: They also informed Sochi’s
branding. The design references a hodgepodge
of Russian arts and crafts traditions, quilting them
together in a big blanket that, if you look more deeply,
glosses over a complicated and violent history. This
strategic branding attempts to persuade the world
that Russia is one big happy family, dammit.
9. BEST: SOVIET PROPAGANDA TURNED INTO FABULOUS
GAY PRIDE POSTERS
It’s been suggested that Sochi’s rainbow branding is a ploy to visually drown out
any rainbow pride flags waved in protest of Russia’s recent legislature banning
“gay propaganda.” Protesters around the world have been coming out in support
of Russia’s oppressed LGBT community. One of our favorite protest campaigns
turns old Soviet Propaganda posters into Pride Propaganda, replacing hammerand-sickle flags with rainbow pride flags, depicting the bygone USSR as one big
happy gay family.
10: WORST: THE HALFPIPE DESIGN
Over the past 16 years, the Winter Olympic halfpipe has almost doubled
in height. This means trickier tricks and, you would think, more dangerous
falls by competing athletes. But industry insiders insist that the halfpipe has
actually gotten safer (though it didn’t stop this year’s athletes from falling
left and right).
11. BEST: NATE SILVERING THE
SOCHI MEDAL COUNT
As of today, the U.S. has won 24 medals
at Sochi. Before the games began, with a
statistical model painstakingly crafted over
the course of four years, data analysts Dan
and Tim Graettinger predicted that the U.S.
would win 29 medals this year. We visualized
their predictions here.
12. BEST: THE WINTER OLYMPICS IN DOWNTOWN
NEW YORK
A luge track through Times Square? A ski jump over Bryant Park?
Though it would’ve made commuting in New York this winter even
suckier, a creative visualization by the New York Times proves that
the Winter Olympics in downtown New York City would have looked
nothing less than dope.