Special Olympics Athletes Unite To Inspire and Design Original Logo for 2022 Special Olympics USA Games

oday, the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games Organizing Committee unveiled its original and unprecedented logo for the 2022 USA Games which was, for the first time in the organization’s 50-year history, inspired and designed by nine artistic and talented Special Olympics athletes. Athletes from across the country gathered for a three-day workshop in Orlando, where they joined forces with professional designers from creative ad agency partner, Publicis Seattle, to provide the vision for the 2022 USA Games logo, as well as the primary color palette that explodes with life. The mark represents the natural elements of Florida culminating in a fiery spark of the Special Olympics spirit.

“It is an honor to be part of the team that created the logo,” Special Olympics athlete Lee Savage said. “This was so important to us because Special Olympics is such an important part of our lives. We are proud of the logo and hope it can be an inspiration to society.”

“This logo tells a story of how a combined passion for sports, perseverance, and art can literally come to life on a blank canvas,” said Joe Dzaluk, President & CEO of the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games. “These incredible athletes used their unique talents to inspire and design an iconic image for the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games brand, and it proved to be more meaningful than any of us could have ever imagined.

Additionally, Iranian-American filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi, who is best known for her 2018 Academy Award-winning documentary short Period. End of Sentence., directed a mini-documentary that was filmed during the three-day workshop. 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. Zehtabchi’s film beautifully captures the positive impact of the process and the undeniable spirit and talent of the athletes.

Melissa Nelson, President, Publicis Seattle, commented, “We’ve been privileged to partner with  Special Olympics for the 2018 Games and now again for the 2022 Games. This collaboration inspires our people to do what they do best: explore exciting new creative thinking and opportunities.

Pete Kearney, Executive Creative Director, Publicis Seattle, added, “We’ve always felt this was never our logo to create -- it was the athletes’. We embraced that idea and empowered the talent, vision, and passion of these spirited artists. We’re in the business of changing perceptions, and with this work, we’ve shown that creative power exists in each and every one of us.”

The nine athletes included: Aarushi Pratap of Special Olympics Florida (Fashion Design), Andrew Weatherly of Special Olympics New Jersey (Abstract Painting), Caroline Shin of Special Olympics Florida (Web Design), Coby Fineran of Special Olympics Iowa (Tattoo Artist), Haley Waggoner of Special Olympics Nebraska (Cake Decorating), Lee Savage of Special Olympics Florida (Drawing), Mariah Gilbert of Special Olympics Washington (Drawing), Marta Páramo of Special Olympics Florida (Painting) and Patrice Jetter of Special Olympics New Jersey (Graphic Design).

About 2022 Special Olympics USA Games:

Orlando was officially announced as the host city for the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games in May 2018. Taking place from June 5-11, 2022, more than 4,000 athletes, 10,000 volunteers, 1,500 coaches and 125,000 fans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia will travel to unite and participate in one of the world’s most cherished sporting events. The Games will be comprised of as many as 20 Olympic-type team and individual sports and will take place at the 220-acre ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort, providing a premier venue for amateur sports in the nation. To learn more about the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games, please visit www.2022USAGames.org and follow the organization on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Publicis Worldwide:

Publicis Worldwide is a global creative agency network enabling our clients to Lead The Change in their own marketing and business transformation. We do this through a combination of strategy, creativity and technology. With over 16,000 employees in 110 countries, clients include Adidas Sports, Axa, Carrefour, Cartier, Citi, Diesel, Emirates, Heineken, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, L'Oréal, Nestlé, Orange, P&G, Renault and Sanofi.

Publicis Worldwide is part of Publicis Communications, the creative agency network solution hub within Publicis Groupe.

Client: 2022 Special Olympics USA Games

Campaign Title: 2022 Special Olympics USA Games Logo

Joe Dzaluk, President and CEO

Bill Schoonmaker, Chief Marketing Officer

Kyle Jaimes, Partnership Manager

Agency: Publicis

Agency Location: Seattle

President: Melissa Nelson

Executive Creative Director/s: Jason Lucas, Pete Kearney

Creative Director/s: Chris Campbell, Earl Wallace IV

Sr. Art Director: Chad Ford

Sr. Designer: Michelle Billings

Copywriter: Kai Nedderson

Head of Production: AJ Karim

Executive Producer: Jen Allen

Assistant Producer: Grace Gutierrez

Group Account Director: Garth Knutson

Account Supervisor: Pat Hutchinson

Account Executive: Brooke Songey

Project Manager/s: Nina Scarnici, Kurt Hartwig

Studio Director: Ricky Fisher

Sr. Print Producer: Molly Costin

Special Olympics Athletes/Artists/s: Caroline Shin, Haley Waggoner, Lee Savage, Aarushi Pratap, Marta Paramo, Coby Fineran, Andrew Weatherly, Patrice Jetter, Mariah Gilbert

Director: Rayka Zehtabchi

Director of Photography: Sam Davis

Editor: Sam Davis

Assistant Editor: Tim Deters

Design & Animation Company: Laundry

Executive Creative Directors: PJ Richardson & Tony Liu

Creative Director: Reza Rasoli

Managing Director: James Sweigert

Head of Production: Matthew Primm

Producer: Dean Marchand

Design: Reza Rasoli, Yoojin Seol, Teppei Maki, Ana Perez Lopez

Animation: Reza Rasoli, Teppei Maki, Ramzi Hogan, Samantha Maurer, Ana Perez Lopez

Audio Record: Push Button Productions

Producer/Engineer: Yeosh Bendayan

Producer/Engineer: Jon Ruhff

Mix / Sound Design: Bart Radio

Producer/Engineer: Bart Smith