We can let out a collective sigh… and get up off the sofa. The Olympics are over, and we can reclaim our lives until the Milan Winter Games in February 2026.

So many great moments! But amid the astounding talent and grit shown by the athletes, visual thinkers may have noticed tiny graphics with each sport.

These Paris 2024 pictograms were designed as a suite of 62 small coats of arms for each sport. (There are also 23 Paralympic sports pictograms.)

Designing them to work individually and together was a complex design challenge.

Let’s see what the designers had in mind and what we can learn from their visual system—valuable lessons for solopreneurs aiming for a strong brand identity.

Designing Olympic-level icons

The Paris 2024 pictograms visually telegraph details about each sport to an international audience.

Each visual includes three elements:

1. Sport​
Each pictogram features a distinctive tool of the sport it represents, like rackets for tennis, arrows for archery, or bicycles for cycling.

2. Playing field​
Each sporting performance needs a playing field, so the pictograms also showcase a stylized representation of the pitch or track used.

3. Axis of symmetry​
All of the Paris 2024 pictograms are designed around an axis of symmetry to reinforce their “coat of arms”-like aspect.

The use of these three elements—sport, playing field, and symmetry—resulted in a cohesive and instantly recognizable visual language for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Build your own visual system

How can you create a visual system like these Olympic pictograms for your own brand? Begin with four steps.

✅ Identify your core elements.​
​Just as the Olympic pictograms highlight the essentials of each sport, identify the core elements of your brand. What symbols or imagery represent your business? This includes your logo, colors, fonts, or specific visual motifs that are central to your brand identity.

✅ Create a consistent visual language.
The Olympic pictograms are unified by their symmetry and simplicity, making them instantly recognizable. Similarly, consistency in your visual elements—such as color schemes, typography, and design style—helps your audience immediately identify your brand across different platforms and materials.

✅ Simplify.​
The designers of the Olympic pictograms distilled complex sports into simple yet powerful symbols. For your brand, this means simplifying your visuals to convey your message clearly and effectively. Avoid clutter and focus on what truly represents your business.

✅ Think systematically.
Just as the pictograms were designed to work both individually and together, your visual elements should be part of a larger system. Consider how each piece of content you create—whether it's a website banner, a business card, or a social media post—fits into your overall visual identity.

Start simple

It’s true, creating a cohesive and powerful system like the Paris 2024 Olympic pictograms can seem daunting. But it all starts with understanding the core elements that define your brand.

So here's a simple action step to get you going:

✍️ Take a moment today to list the key elements defining your brand. This could be your logo, primary colors, or unique symbols.

Once you have these, sketch out a few ideas for how you can reuse them throughout your materials.

By systematically approaching your visual communication, you’ll create a stronger brand presence and ensure your message is clear, memorable, and resonates with your audience.

And guess what? Bit by bit, you’re increasing your visibility, credibility, and authority.

The Solo Business Canvas arrives next week!

I’m delighted to announce that the first resource of the Solo Business School, the Solo Business Canvas, will arrive next week. This free one-page framework will help both new and established solopreneurs:

• Get clear on what you offer
• Spot new ways to make money
• Identify your perfect customers
• Map the resources you need
• Know your exact next steps
• and much more

The download also includes a free tutorial so you can start using the Solo Business Canvas right away.

The Solo Business Canvas will be available on Thursday, August 22nd. But I’ll have a special early-bird announcement for all SOLO readers. Stay tuned.

❤️ My favorite visual delights

Here are this week’s gems from around the Web for all types of visual thinkers:

🤸🏿‍♀️ Simone Biles’ Skills​
The Washington Post’s creative team developed a delightful series of animations deconstructing Olympic champion Simone Biles’s 5 signature moves. It’s a fine example of engaging and informative visual content, enabling readers to appreciate and analyze what happens in the blink of an eye. (A gift link, so you bypass the Post’s paywall.)

🎨 Valspar’s 2025 Paint Color of the Year​
It’s August, which means paint manufacturers are making breathless announcements about a shade they crown as color of the year. For 2025, Valspar (an in-house brand of home improvement store Lowe’s) chose a deep, rich blue they’ve named Encore. You may not be shopping for paint, but seeing how companies brand a color for marketing purposes is both revealing and instructive for visual communicators.

🔤 Helvetica, a documentary on the world’s most popular typeface​
It’s a typeface that designers either revere or despise. And it permeates so much of our visual lives that we don’t even notice it, from the Jeep logo to NYC subways. This 2007 documentary by Gary Hustvit consistently appears on Top 10 lists of design films. And the first 60 seconds showing metal type being set is magic on its own. Available to rent on Amazon or Apple TV, or streaming for free here.

Did you miss these?

Catch up on some recent popular issues of SOLO you may have missed.

✅ How to drought-proof your creativity​

✅ Draw, tell, and sell with this single-line framework​

✅ Credibility: Build it or borrow it?​

✅ 3 ways design pros stop the scroll​​​​​​​

Want to check out other past issues? Visit the SOLO Newsletter archive.

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Thanks again for being a SOLO reader and coming along on this journey of visual exploration.
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See you next week,