In this post from our Copycat Design Series, we’ll walk through how to recreate one of the most iconic logos of all time: the Olympic rings. Along the way, we’ll dig into the history, explore the official brand guidelines, and learn some Illustrator techniques that you can apply to any design project.
A Brief History of the Olympic Symbol
The Olympic symbol consists of five interlocking rings—blue, yellow, black, green, and red—set against a white background. The colors were chosen in 1913 because they appeared most frequently in international flags.
Over the decades, the logo has gone through a few small variations:
- 1913: The original version was drawn, with overlapping rings.
- 1986: A version introduced with gaps between intersections.
- 2010: The rings returned to their original, gapless form.
These details are documented in the official Olympic brand guidelines (PDF), which also provide exact specifications for ring width, overlap, and official colors.
Setting Up Your Workspace
Before we begin designing, download the official Olympic Brand Guidelines PDF. This is more than just reference material, it contains vector files you can extract directly in Illustrator.
👉 Pro Tip: If you open a brand guidelines PDF (or other document like an infographic or annual report) in Illustrator (via File > Open), you can often unlock and copy vector elements like logos, icons, or illustrations. This is a great trick for working with brand assets.
Building the Rings in Illustrator
There are two main approaches to drawing the rings:
Method 1: Using Shape Subtraction
- Draw two concentric circles.
- Use Pathfinder > Minus Front to subtract the smaller from the larger.
- You now have a perfect ring shape.
Method 2: Expanding a Stroke
- Draw a circle and apply a thick stroke.
- Adjust the stroke alignment so it fits the proportions of the Olympic ring.
- Go to Object > Expand Appearance to convert the stroke into a filled shape.
Both techniques will leave you with clean, editable rings.
Applying Official Colors
Each ring has a defined Pantone, CMYK, RGB, and HEX value in the guidelines.
To apply them:
- Use the Eyedropper tool to sample colors directly from the guideline PDF.
- Or, double-click a shape’s fill and paste in the HEX/RGB values for precision.
Interlocking the Rings
The hallmark of the Olympic logo is its interlaced rings. To achieve this effect there are two methods:
Method 1: Using Pathfinder > Divide
- Select all rings and go to Pathfinder > Divide.
- This creates separate shapes wherever rings overlap.
- Use the Direct Selection Tool (white arrow) to select overlapping segments.
- Recolor them according to which ring sits on top (referencing the official logo order).
- Once corrected, unite matching color segments so each ring becomes a single, seamless shape again.
Method 2: Using Illustrator’s Intertwine
Adobe introduced the Intertwine feature in Illustrator 2022, and it’s perfect for creating the Olympic rings effect because it allows you to define where objects weave without permanently cutting shapes apart.
Here’s how to do it:
- Select all the rings
- Use the black arrow (Selection Tool) to highlight everything.
- Create the Intertwine
- Go to the top menu: Object > Intertwine > Make.
- Illustrator will now allow you to define weaving regions.
- Click and drag over overlap areas
- Illustrator shows a highlight; whichever object is selected will be pulled “above” the other at that spot.
- Continue doing this around the logo so the rings alternate over/under exactly like the real Olympic logo.
- Refine as needed
- If you mis-click, go to Object > Intertwine > Edit.
- This reactivates the editing mode, and you can redraw the overlap regions.
- Non-destructive advantage
- Unlike the Pathfinder method, Intertwine doesn’t permanently slice your artwork.
Creating a White Gap Between Overlapping Rings in Illustrator
- Select the Overlapping Paths
- Choose the rings (or shapes) that overlap.
- Add a White Stroke
- With this selection, go to the Stroke panel.
- Set the stroke color to white (or whatever the background color is).
- Increase the stroke weight until it creates the desired gap effect at the overlap.
- Expand the Stroke
- With the stroked object selected, go to Object → Expand.
- Check Stroke and click OK. This converts the stroke into a filled shape.
- Use the Pathfinder Divide Tool
- Open the Pathfinder panel (Window → Pathfinder).
- Select the expanded stroke along with the overlapping ring(s).
- Click Divide in Pathfinder. This will split the shapes wherever they intersect.
- Ungroup and Remove Extra Parts
- Go to Object → Ungroup.
- Select and delete the sections of the stroke that you don’t want, leaving a white “gap” where the rings intersect. You can select a section of no fill, no stroke or of white and click Select > Same > Appearance to select and delete many pieces at once.
Watch Video
Final Touches
Once your rings are aligned, colored, and interwoven, group them together. You now have a fully scalable vector recreation of the Olympic symbol.
👉 This same method applies to any overlapping/intertwining elements you envision in your logo.
Wrapping Up
The Olympic rings are a masterclass in simplicity, balance, and longevity. Recreating them is not only a great Illustrator exercise but also a useful lesson in respecting brand guidelines.
In future posts in the Copycat Design Series, we’ll explore more famous logos and design systems to see what we can learn from them.
