This kind of story happens all the time, you just need to switch out the event and the money amount. They just unveiled the logo for the 2012 Olympic games in London. Check it out here.
Yep, pretty dumb. And Londoners are quite angry.
Exacerbating the issue is that it cost over three-quarters of a million dollars to design.
The President of the Olympic Committee said, "This is a truly innovative brand logo that graphically captures the essence of the London 2012 Olympic Games — namely, to inspire young people around the world through sport and Olympic values."
When's the last time a logo inspired you to do anything? Personally, it was that time I was driving down the street, saw a Jiffy Lube sign burst into tears. I could plainly see that it was a metaphor for my life and realized it was time to change direction. I promptly enrolled in Bible College and entered the ministry. Thanks, Jiffy Lube logo!
Logo design is never easy; you're always going to have someone hate it. But if you're going to lay an egg like this, it's best not to spend that much money on it.
Odds are, it'll be different before those games roll around.