Looks like they had some children make paper cutouts and then tape them on the logo.

you seriously want to know what the shapes are? Study them closely first. I only had a chance to study them for a few seconds before I read an article about them. I suggest you don't read my next comment until you get a chance to study the forms first.

The shapes form "2012". "2" and "0" are at the top and "1" and "2" are at the bottom.

This logo is a complete disgrace. I visited London a couple years ago and I have high regard for their culture and aesthetic senses. I respect the bold statement this logo makes. However, there's no substance to back such design.

That logo only says "2012" in Bizarro's world.

I should say, that logo says "2012" only in Bizarro's world. (a misplacement of the word "only")

wait wait. this is better... Only in Bizarro's world does that logo say "2012."

It only gets worse:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6724245.stm

I am crying... CRYING in laughter of the stupidity. This is just so incredibly classic. The logo is causing seizures to people on tv. HOW MUCH WORSE CAN A LOGO GET? It's not only ugly, it makes NO SENSE. And now it causes people to fall on the floor and have fits. Oh this is just too classic. So classic it makes me cry.

More bad news:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=460205&in_page_id=1770

I want a starting lineup of Nolan Ryan beating the crap out of Robin Ventura.

I see that it's supposed to say

20
12

but it is the best example of bad design I've seen in a LONG time! Historically, however, the Olympic logos have raised questions on design, taste and sense ... this is near the top of the long list of bad logos. Someone else already said it looks like childrens' handiwork. Maybe getting school children involved is the primary force behind a history of bad logos?

There's a logo behind one of the links of a silhoutte throwing the

20
12

logo into the trash! LMAO!!

I assume they had other submissions for the logo design and chose the "best" one. Imagine what happens if you look at the logos that weren't chosen ... maybe your head collapses into a black hole!

im not as offended as some people. it looks like its supposed to be edgy...from 1986.

someone on youtube did quite the hilarious comparison to the opening credit sequence of Saved By The Bell, though the olympic committee has made them take it down.

also another person said the olympic logo looked like Lisa Simpson performing an unsavory act

edgy from 1986, yeah i can see that. But it's bad edgy from 1986. They could have done a much better job giving a 80s style cool to it.

I read somewhere that the logo represents Lisa Simpson (at right) in the Monica Lewinsky scene from the new "Simpsons" movie.

I looks like London is still going with this logo: http://www.woostercollective.com/2008/07/seen_on_the_streets_of_london_4.html

And check out the official 2012 London Olympics homepage! http://www.london2012.com/ Those lines in the background are CRAZY!

(To preserve this memory, i took a screenshot and posted it at http://www.spudart.org/blog/images/2008/Homepage-London-2012.gif )