Sochi 2014's brand is the dullest Olympic logo ever

SORRY Sochi but that is not a logo - the font might be both funky and chunky but London's jigsaw emblem looks inspired in comparison.

NEW IDENTITY: A specially invited audience watched Sochi 2014 unveil their logo but most media was banned

In the long history of Olympic logos, this is arguably the dullest and most uninspired yet.

It's more idiotic than iconic.

At least London were trying when they got things so horribly wrong - this effort looks like it has been knocked up in 20 minutes by someone with a basic working knowledge of Photoshop.

Simple is good. Simple can be effective but it's hard to understand just why Sochi 2014 have been so understated - although they'd earn a place in Private Eye's Pseuds Corner for their attempts to explain it.

Fans of fonts are already waxing lyrical about its clean symmetry.

And social media gurus believe it will enable the Games to reach new audiences through digital platforms (it's the first time a web address has been incorporated into an Olympic logo).

Fred Burt, managing director of design agency Siegel+Gale London, told Brand Republic: "I'm no fan of London 2012 identity so it's a relief to see Sochi 2014 restore some sanity. 

"As a logo it should work well in small sizes and next to other partner logos — key from a commercial point of view. It feels fresh and up-to-date, promising a new Russia that perhaps the wider world does not know [think how Beijing benefitted in this regard].

"I'll be interested to see how the URL plays out — has the system been designed to drop the '.ru' in certain circumstances? But I'd applaud Sochi's commitment to driving their audience to a URL, something that will allow them to control the experience much more directly.

"The typographical mirroring of the 'h/y' 's/z' and '0/o' feels clumsy, however, and undermines the symmetry of the logo. But as ever, it's the experience not the logo that will make this brand."

The brand-unveiling ceremony took place under a media black-out, with Russia still in mourning after 26 were killed and dozen injured during last week's train terror attack.

But behind closed doors, the launch party - bizarrely chiefly staged in Moscow's Red Square as opposed to the host city - was certainly more extravagant than the logo they came to celebrate, as the photos below show.

So, what are your thoughts?

UPDATED: There are plenty of alternative logos floating around the blogosphere, see here more.