NBC Sports recently released its logo for the 2026 Winter Olympics, a design that follows the trend of incorporating a stylized border element with a distinctive wordmark. The overall design resembles a snowflake, formed by two mirrored elements with curved shapes, a simplified representation of a real snowflake's fractal pattern. These elements encircle the NBC peacock, the year, the Olympic rings, and the "Milan Cortina" wordmark, which extends beyond the snowflake due to gaps on either side.
The snowflake's shapes are relatively simple, bearing resemblance to patterns found on Italian hand-painted tiles and ceramics. The outermost points subtly evoke the Italian fleur-de-lis (giglio bottonato), holding cultural and historical significance. The muted blue-gray color of the snowflake elements contrasts with the bolder colors often used in similar designs, improving readability and preventing clashing with the peacock, rings, and wordmark.
The "Milan Cortina" wordmark uses a distinctive sans-serif font, possibly based on Recline from Digitype Studio. This font combines pointed elements, bold angles, and curved strokes of varying widths, creating a sleek, modern, yet sophisticated look. NBC modified the "L" and "A" to reduce negative space, and the "R" features a unique, dramatic extension.
A teaser promo showcased another elegant sans-serif font with distinctive curves, potentially related to the Paris 2024 font but with unique characteristics. The numerals "2" and "6" in the year "2026" also have unique design features, with the "2" having a more rounded, exaggerated curve and a shortened baseline, while the "6" presents a prominent curve resulting in a higher x-height, making the top seem diminutive.
The Milan Cortina logo follows the style of NBC's Paris 2024 logo, both featuring a diamond-like wraparound element with a stylized wordmark. Sibling Rivalry, the agency behind the 2024 logo, also designed the 2026 version. Unlike the Beijing 2022 logo, which prominently featured mountains, the 2026 design omits direct mountain references, although the snowflake points might be interpreted as peaks.
It is crucial to remember that this logo is specifically for NBC, the U.S. English-language rights holder. It will only appear on NBCUniversal platforms. Other broadcasters likely have their own unique logos. The organizing committee for the 2026 Winter Olympics released a separate logo, which will likely be used for venue signage and printed materials within venues.