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Canadian Games Themes: Montréal 1976
Montréal, the organizing city of the XXI Olympiad, chose as its official emblem a work created by graphic designer Georges Huel. The symbol is composed of the five interlocking Olympic Rings, capped by a podium—a graphic representation of the letter "M" for Montréal.
The centre of the symbol, which is higher than the rest, is a reference to the showcase of the Games, the athletic track.
This emblem evokes "the universal brotherhood of the Olympic Ideal, the triumph of the winners, the spirit of fair play in their struggles, and the elevation of Montréal to the rank of Olympic city." (Games of the XXI Olympiad, Montréal 1976: Official Report, p. 314.)
The organizing committee of the Montréal Games established an impressive publicity campaign for each of its venues.
It arranged for the production of two main series of posters. The first series included eight themes: the Olympic Stadium, the mascot, the invitation, the flag, the International Youth Camp, Olympia and Montréal, Kingston 1976, and the Olympic Flame. The second series illustrated the 21 sports on the program.
Signs on roads, in the cities and other locations were also part of the dissemination program as was the decoration of the streets of Montréal and the other cities where the competitions took place.
