Research on Content Design and Urban Image
under Background of Olympic Games

Zhongyang LI     Shouming CHEN   Huazheng LIU 

Abstract: Urban image design was researched through the great stage of Olympics. Relationship between content design and urban image, and the concept and categories of content design were analyzed. Content design of urban image was investigated concretely with five aspects. Significance and availability of studying content design of urban image was concluded in the end.
Keywords: Olympic Games, Urban Content, Urban Image, Content Design

 

 

 

 

1. Olympics and City
Since the Olympics of the modern era has developed more than hundred years, every city is proud itself of hosting the Olympic Games. Indeed, the Olympics is not only the sports movement all over the world, but also is a big stage where hosted country can show its economy, culture, and the overall strength. Besides, it has become a good chance for national development, a big window for propagandizing urban civilization, an effective way for creating urban image, and a driving Force for improving public literacy. Although there are some comments about negative effects of post-Olympics economy, we can easily know that the countries which hosted Olympic Games access to lots of huge business opportunities, and their economy develops more rapidly than before. Especially, the Olympic cities are the biggest beneficiary. For instances, thanks to the stimulation of Tokyo Olympic Games, it became a world financial centre through continuous development. Its city is ‘capable, elegant and cooperation.’ Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 had Korean economy and its culture transmitted all over the world. Because the Olympic brand has tremendous influence, all countries want to choose the most competitive city in its bid to host the Olympic Games. London is a vivid example. After the years of 1908 and 1948, it will be the third time hosting the XXX Olympic Games in 2012.
Both sports competition and promoting friendship are the two initial purposes of Olympic Games. Now, it has upgraded to show the state's overall images. The Olympic Games can establish the unique image of city and make city more individuation. On the one hand, as we know, the city achieves substantial material wealth through accurate direction of urban content——this treasure does not disappear with the lapse of year. Instead it will be richer than before. On the other hand, the public spiritual wealth can be continuously enriched with the increasing urban soft power. In short, the Olympic Games render cities to show a good cycle of urban development patterns from the economic, cultural, environmental and other aspects。

2. Content Design and the Olympic Games
The Olympic Games are a process. It improves urban planning system. The Olympic Games are a means as well. It upgrades urban comprehensive strength. Depends upon the excellent opportunity of the Olympic Games, the administrator should invite experts and scholars at the aspects of economy, science, literature, history, architecture, design and folk to identify the differences between cities to find city’s advantages. Specifically, urban image can be created relying on high technology and urban culture. As a result, city shapes unique temperament, expands global visibility, and promotes the development of whole country.
the experience of the Olympic Games tells people a truth that the construction of infrastructure, public services and housing conditions of the host city have immense improvement with the impact of the Olympics. The city has a profound meaning instead of no longer machinery. The quality of life is also enhanced gradually. These changes are the results on the basis of studying urban content under background of the Olympic Games.

3. Content Design
3.1 The Concept of Content Design
Content design is the research method. Creation as blood and content as vein are its features. By finding the meaning of things which is the core of design, designers use accurate methods of design to enhance the taste of design objects, so as to raise their added value. As long as designers grasp the essence, the target groups of content design do not be restricted either sex or any age, so regardless of region or space.
21st century is the era of aesthetic economic development. Fusion of the Science, technology, culture and arts is the global trend of design. Content design has become a new term in contemporary society. Design is not for the basic function level, but also for content, meaning and communication. Therefore, designers need to find the fashionable and personal elements and gather information in order to make life more harmonious, richer and higher quality.
3. 2 Categories of Content Design
3.2.1 Corporation Services Design
Synthetical coordination capacity of one city can be improved rapidly by corporate design of urban services. City services system includes the urban public transport services, communication services, public recreational places and so on. When carrying out corporation services design, designers must proceed from the actual demand for human beings, and make cities fast, convenient and comfortable as the purpose so as to form obstacle-free link between design and services with systemic planning. During the past seven years after wining the bid for Olympics on 13th July 2001, Beijing has been changed obviously. The urban green space is increasing, and the environment is improving. The function of various districts becomes clearer. For examples, Chaoyang District takes CBD construction as the name card of Beijing international image. Haidian District develops the information transmission services and software design industry through university research strength. In addition, the Government organizes a hearing to adjust the charges of telecom, and reduces the public transport expenses through financial subsidies.
3.2.2 Brand's Value Design
Brand's value design requires designers tell the feelings about the design with the cultural connotations of design objects behind the technical support. Urban image is shown through not only modern high-rise buildings but also its culture. Recently, every city is focusing on the build of culture, history and regional characteristics by improving economic construction. A contest of city’s glamour in China, carried out by CCTV is a typical example to prove the point above. Qufu, a city of Shandong Province in China, which is famous for hometown of Confucius (the Confucian Mansion where he lived in, the Confucian Temple where he imparted knowledge to people, and the Confucian Cemetery where he die ) highlights the cultural content as its brand to explore tourism, which boosts the overall economic development.
3.2.3 New Forms of Creative Design
New forms of creative design are built on scientific and technological innovation. They could enrich connotations of cities, improve people's lifestyle and enhance the competitiveness of urban image with a new modeling, materials and crafts. Faced with the ever-changing technology and the current pressure of environment, City must refresh itself continuously to ensure sustainable development. Taking the National Grand Theater as an instance, it has a unique new design pattern with high technology. Another typical example is the new building of CCTV which located on Central Business District of Beijing. It reverses the traditional architectural forms. Both of landmark buildings have increased status as a cosmopolitan city.
3.3 Content Design and Urban Image
There are mainly two aspects of city research currently. One is urban planning and architectural design. The other is urban image design which is based on CIS, to be specific, using concepts of MI, BI and CI to shape city image. Both of them, however, should be studied from urban content. Because content is the key.
In the context of modern information society, with accelerating the urbanization process, Reinforced concrete structure makes urban image more homogenization. Urban image design must be returned to the original point. Designers should think more about the inner thoughts and feelings of cities, except for meeting people's basic needs, such as food, clothing, housing and transportation. So, it requires them to collect regional resources, improve the service system, create new urban space, and upgrade urban brand image with the inner touching story, then establish a humanistic, harmonious and livable city.

4. Strategies in Content Design Of Urban Image
One place has its own content and characteristic which is the core of content design of urban image. Cultural identity, regional patterns, urban content and urban form, environment and humanity qualities should be researched. Preferred resource integrated and creative value should be paid attention with science and technology as entry point. Therefore, it is out of question that the Olympic Games are the huge power which speeds up content design of urban image.
4.1 Human-Centered Urban Planning
Interaction between people and city is one of the most crucial aspects of content design of urban image. Urban development is to enhance people's living standards, improves the working environment and raises people's minds. Only all-round development of human being, can urban image be consolidated continuously. It is also the best interpretation of ‘People's Olympics’. The 8.0 earthquake in Sichuan province has caused big losses in both human lives and properties on May 12, 2008. It warns that whether the construction quality, or public places, such as emergency shelters, should be thought from human beings. In view of this, human-centered content design needs government planning, business responsibilities and public supervision timely.
4.2 Urban Sustainable Development
The Olympic Games strengthen the concept of sustainable development. The spirit of ‘Green Olympics’ is to enhance people's awareness of ecology and the full protection of natural resources so that circular economy can be developed. The Olympic Games do not need to use up a lot of land and construction of stadiums at the cost of sacrificing the green. While the 2008 Beijing Olympics draws on the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games experience. proceed from building globalization and information era of ecological objectives of the Olympic Games, Beijing’s image is enhanced comprehensively through the 3R（Reduce, Reuse, Recycle）concept of environmental protection. It is reported that life hot water at the Olympic village is supplied with Solar Energy. At the same time, solar energy also provides 90 percent energy of lawn lamp and street light of venues.
   4.3 Regional Character in City
   One person is raised with one side of water and soil. Just like personality as the commodity selling point, content design of urban image should be not only made overall plans to form a global style, but also positioned urban personality with new technologies new packaging, and new point of view, in order to avoid the loss of competitiveness due to lack of it. Looked at the past Olympics, the host city thought a lot about the development of regional image. For instance, the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games were the first developed Western countries no longer hold the Olympic Games. Finding Mexico's geographical features, being different from modern Western cities are two keys to build urban image. After the Olympic Games, People from all over the world are interested in the original unique American culture.
4.4 The Rich Cultural Deposits in City
If a city has not cultural roots, it will be an empty city. “City is the cultural container” said Lewis Chi Ford, who is a famous architect in America. Architecture is not just itself, also includes the social culture, history, national culture, folk culture and so on. As a city with 3000 years history of Beijing from its foundation, and 860-year history of Chinese Capital, its cultural connotations are the biggest advantage. During the Olympic Games, Beijing should be given full display to the world with the unique cultural and three-dimensional urban image. Not because the Olympic Games and the transformation of the old city affect the long-term development. Chinese courtyard houses, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven Tiananmen Square and other traditional architectures should be organic integration with modern building.
4.5 Urban Visual Identity
Urban static, concrete, visual communication system is also another aspect of content design of urban image. It mainly includes the urban standard color, the urban core graphics, landmark architecture, urban landscape form and brand advertising. For example, Hong Kong has been defined as ‘Asia's world city’, through the study of international successful cases of urban image design. ‘Brand Hong Kong - the dragon sign’ is a new brand of urban image, spreading urban concept of culture convergence between the east and west. Therefore, the visual design is the intuitive and effective form of expression to explore inner urban culture and display the external visual image.
Based on above analysis, the content design of urban image mainly includes two categories. One for hardware design: City shape, urban planning, public service systems and so on; the other for software design: people behavior, regional character, cultural connotation etc.. Both of them are interrelated and complementary.

5. Conclusion
Contemporary design needs global marketing and regional designing. Like products should attract mass consumer with rich emotion, Cultural identity is the basis of the city differences and brand image. Under background of the Olympic Games, content design plays an important role of transmitting a global new image. It is obvious that urban culture is not only a culture, but a way of life, a kind of economy and a life. The uniqueness of regional content itself can be viewed as a local economic resource, creating urban image and transforming into urban high-value brand.
Finally, as a new subject, content design of urban image is a lasting research project. Study must be explored the relationships of human being and city, city and environment, cities and regions, cities and culture, city and vision from the perspective of human caring and multi-angle thinking in order to come up with solutions of urban image design, then establish urban brand accurately through the design , Testing and redesign.

References
Wang Ying. Big System thinking [M]. Beijing: China Youth Press.1998
Ren Hai. Encyclopedia of the Olympic Games[M]. Beijing: Encyclopedia of China Publishing House.2000
Jiao Yan. Expression and planning of urban colors[J]. Urban Planning 2001-3
Zhao Jiuzai(Korea). Suggestions on the Bejing 2008 Olmpics [M]. B内。
ejing: National Press. 2007
 
奥运会背景下对内容设计与城市形象的研究
李中阳  陈寿名  刘华铮

北京市西三环北路105号首都师范大学美术学院，100037
Email:li919@163.com  Tel: 86-10-67409288  Mobile: 86-13501195539
Email: shoumingchen@126.com  Mobile: 86-13439568158
Email: liuhuazheng@163.com  Mobile: 86-13520297969

摘要：通过奥运会提供的有利舞台，研究城市形象与内容设计。以内容设计与城市品牌形象的关系为切入点，分析内容设计的概念与分类，探讨内容设计与奥运会及城市形象设计的关联，并从五个方面具体研究城市形象的内容设计，提出内容设计对城市品牌形象建立的重要性和有效性。
关键词：奥运会；城市内容；城市形象；内容设计