Olympic Posters - snapshots through time

In a few weeks time, the 2008 Summer Olympic Games will be officially open in Beijing, China. The modern Olympic games represent the athletic achievement and now occupy the place on the global stage as the "Greatest Sporting Event on Earth."

Throughout the history of the games, the Olympic posters have provided a unique visual record evoking everything from time, geography and style. Olympic posters are considered one of the major vehicle to spread information on the Olympic movement and convey the Olympic spirit .

It provides a fascinating records of our world, a link between sports and arts, politics, commerce and culture. The range of style is as interesting as the historical context and the graphic design. The Olympic posters is a visual representation of the Olympic ideas and the host country's culture and spirit.

The Sixties Op-art is well and truly reflected in the 1968 Mexico Olympic poster. The Tokyo 1964 minimalist poster gives us a timelessness effect that still looks very modern today.

As I look at the Olympic posters, it is not only a piece of art but every poster have a story to tell, it is not only a memento of the Olympic games but it celebrates physical and sporting achievement and offers inspiration to the athletes of tommorow.

From 1896 to 2008, different cities have hosted the Summer Olympiads (three were missed due to war). Each host city has created its own unique promotional poster, the design of which often reflected the prevailing cultural and artistic tone of the period. Browse through the gallery and enjoy a part of the Olympic history.