Wor(l)d at its best: My favorite Olympic Posters

I miss the Olympics.

I love the spirit of the Olympics which allows for all this stark, uplifting, positively hopeful, energizing graphics to come to life.

Some cities have most certainly done better than others in terms of their Olympic posters. To my liking, the best ones are those who exhibit the architectural rigour and beauty of the new stadiums they have built for the occasion, or those others who have been able to pin down a simple graphic idea.

The Munich Olympics reigns my Olympic poster and architecture world. The Frei Otto stadium has remained unmatched. and of course the political events that mark this one makes it probably the most memorable 'limpic.

Another special liking goes to the Montreal Olympic posters which also feature stark graphics and of course the retractable roof of the stadium dome.

Most of world's steel and architectural talent flooded the Bird's Nest and Water Cube in Beijing last summer. The posters reflect the graphics of the decade as well these new buildings.

London Olympics had one of the smartest graphic ideas, capitalizing on motion.

Some of my favorite series is the Robert Rauschenberg designs for the very controversial, turn of the Media-Century Olympics.

In response to the American-led boycott of the 1980 summer Olympics in Moscow, 14 eastern Bloc countries and allies including the Soviet Union, Cuba, East Germany boycotted the Games. For differing reasons, Iran and Libya also boycotted. The USSR announced its intention not to participate on May 8, 1984, citing security concerns and "chauvinistic sentiments and an anti-Soviet hysteria being whipped up in the United States." The Los Angeles boycott influenced a large number of events that were normally dominated by the absent countries. Boycotting countries organized a rival event in July-August 1984, called the Friendship Games.