How do you keep the world’s biggest sporting event safe during a global pandemic?

That was the challenge behind the Olympic Playbooks, a set of essential guides for athletes, broadcasters, press, officials, and staff attending the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games.

Working with The International Olympic Committee, we developed seven Playbooks in four languages, outlining all COVID-19 protocols in a way that was clear, consistent, and accessible to everyone involved, from stadium to studio.

As lead designer, I directed a team of seven, balancing complex information, tight timelines, and a global audience. The design system had to be flexible, fast, and precise, working across both print and digital, and eventually adapted for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

The impact? The Playbooks were covered by BBC News, The New York Times, ABC, and NBC, and most importantly, not a single case of COVID-19 was recorded in the Tokyo Athletes’ Village.

Design that kept the Games alive and safe.