Every four years, the Olympic Games capture the world’s attention—not just through athletic achievement, but through a complete visual identity that must resonate across cultures, languages, and generations. It’s one of the most demanding design challenges in the world: creating a brand that honors Olympic heritage while reflecting the unique spirit of a host city and region.
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Raffaella Paniè is the Brand, Identity and Look Director for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games—which means she’s responsible for how billions of people will experience these games visually, from the opening ceremony to the medals, from venue designs to digital platforms. It’s a project that requires balancing tradition with innovation, local culture with global recognition, and multiple stakeholders with a singular creative vision.
In our conversation, Raffaella shares what it takes to design for one of the world’s most recognizable brands, how she’s weaving Italian design heritage into the visual language of the games, and the unique challenges of creating an identity that needs to work everywhere from mountain venues in Cortina to urban spaces in Milano—all while serving athletes, spectators, broadcasters, and digital audiences simultaneously.
Whether you’re designing for scale, managing complex creative projects, or figuring out how to honor history while pushing forward, Raffaella’s insights into Olympic design will change how you think about brand systems.
Bio
Raffaella Paniè has spent over two decades shaping the visual identities of major global events. After leading Look and Image for the Torino 2006 Olympics, she now serves as Brand, Identity, and Look of the Games Director for Milano Cortina 2026, where she oversees all key design elements including the emblem, pictograms, mascots, torch, and medals.
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