Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games launches its brand identity 

To mark the milestone of three years to go until the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the organising committee has unveiled its new advertising campaign, motto and logo. Hosting an international sports event such as the Commonwealth Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve a city, a region or a nation's brand. Although the event will take place in three years, for Birmingham and its region, the game starts now.

The custom of the Commonwealth Games is that the host country creates a singular identity once granted permission to host the event. The rationale behind the branding came from four-month lasting discussions with local people across the West Midlands, to share their views on what the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games should look like.

In the spirit of its motto ‘Games for everyone,’ Birmingham 2022 decided to use the theme of inclusion by putting local people forward. The campaign adverts include Moseley Rugby Club fans, pupils from a school in Saltley, local cyclists at Cannock Chase, runners from Sutton Park Run and others. Josie Stevens, chief marketing and communications officer for Birmingham 2022, says, “The people and communities of this great city and region are at the heart of Birmingham 2022, they have co-created the games’ identity with us and we are putting them front and centre of our first campaign."

With the advertising campaign, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games’ logo was also revealed. This includes a unique ‘B’ shape formed by visually connecting communities from 10 key locations across the region, such as Cannock Chase and Victoria Park, many of which will be hosting sporting events during the games. The logo is energetic and modern, with a bold bright yellow and a geometric design. To tease the new campaign and show the new logo, Birmingham 2022 commissioned a series of tape art installations by specialist tape artists to appear anonymously at key locations across the region. With this symbolic logo linking different places in the West Midlands and the art installations all across the region, everything is made to make the region stand together. It gives the region the opportunity to celebrate what makes the West Midlands special and showcase it to the world.

The objective for Birmingham 2022 is to show that Birmingham is a young, artistic, bold and dynamic European city while bringing athletes, officials, managerial staff and local people together. There have been already new investments and fundings in the region, and new jobs and projects are accumulating as 2022 is approaching.

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