Monday, March 12, 2007

Olympic Logo Designer Paid 13 Cents for His Work


Many people are surprised to hear that when Caroline Davidsion designed the Nike swoosh in 1971, the fledgling shoe company paid her just $35. But it might similarly be surprising to read that the man who designed the 2008 Olympic logo was paid just pennies by the Chinese Government.



Han Meilin, the 70-year-old man who led the teams that designed the 2008 Beijing Olympic logo, as well as the five mascots: a fish, a panda, a Tibetan antelope, a swallow and a “child of fire”, received less than $0.13 (1 Yuan) for his work. But Meilin, who also sculpts and paints, seems undaunted. “A little misfortune is not a bad thing,” he said. Who will get all the money from merchandise sales is yet to be decided, but it won’t be Meilin.

You can read the full story about Meilin and his designs in this Straits Times article.

While there are differences in cost of living between developed countries and China, this payment seems way, way too low, no?

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