Underground Supporters posters are a reminder of the true Olympic spirit

It's been impossible to watch the Olympics without being inundated with its official sponsors like Nike, BMW, and of course, the seemingly counter-intuitive Coca Cola and McDonalds, to name just a handful. This year's Games have felt more corporate than ever, with the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) implementing strict guidelines local businesses must follow when expressing their involvement in London 2012.

But the Games are supposed to be for everyone right? To unify the globe in (mostly) friendly competition, celebration and support. London designers Rizon think so too, and have created a nifty series of unofficial posters for businesses to use to sidestep the marketing rules put into place by LOCOG.

Dubbed the Underground Supporter posters, the clever designs are also available to anyone who wants one, downloadable here. Rizon's managing director Dave Collins thinks that LOCOG could have generated revenue by creating a more discrete program, one called something like "the official supporters program," in which for a small fee smaller businesses would be able to download a pack of approved marketing materials so they could too support the games legall.

“Working in the field of licensing and merchandising, the draconian way LOCOG has enforced the brand rules around small and medium enterprises wanting to show their support of the games has incensed us,” says Collins. “Total control for sponsors is not the Olympic spirit and certainly not in the spirit of British fair play.”

To see more ways local Londoners are getting around the marketing rules, click here.

[Dezeen]

Images: Rizon

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com