Ski Austria unveiled its new logo on March 30, 2023, and has been using it on all communication, websites, and representations since April 3, 2023. The new logo was designed by Scholz & Friends, one of Europe’s largest advertising agencies. The press release by Ski Austria stated that the new logo came in conjunction with the streamlining of the name Ski Austria and away from the use of multiple names, like Austria Ski Team, ÖSV, etc.
The logo is a minimalist design consisting of nine red lines arranged so that they roughly shape the letter ‘A.’ The nine lines each represent one of the sixteen sub-disciplines. Nine lines were also chosen to represent the nine Austrian states: Vorarlberg, Tirol, Salzburg, Kärnten, Steiermark, Oberösterreich, Niederösterreich, and Burgenland.
While the intentions of the Austrian ski association seem very clear to most, many critics, especially those on social media, were quick to point out the flaws in the new design, not least the fact that the discipline of cross-country skiing (‘Langlauf’) was given what appears to be a minus-symbol.
The ridicule on social media ranged from calling it too close to the Antifa logo, looking like a ‘yard sale’ after a ski crash, or like the Blair Witch Project logo, to saying it simply looked like scattered pick-up sticks. Some were quick to point out the similarity to the logo of the Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum in Hamilton, OH, and accusing Scholz & Friends of plagiarism.
