Directly after the founding of the Olympic Committee in July 1966, its board realized that an important precondition for the best possible presentation of the coming XX Olympic Games was a uniform visual image of the diversity of the Olympic city of Munich with all its facilities, an image however that was also attractive for all visitors. On account of the problems involved with the visual image of the Games, the board therefore decided in its second meeting on 17 July 1966 to cooperate with the Hochschule für Gestaltung, the college of design, in Ulm - and in particular with its principal Professor Otl Aicher.
At its fourth meeting on 2 December 1966, the board of the Olympic Committee summarized its findings from previous investigations into the visual image of the Olympic Games as follows:

• With regard to their external image the Games should not be bombastic but rather they should have a pleasant and festive atmosphere on a high artistic level. That means that they must be excellently organized in terms of information and communication.
• An attempt should be made to catch and compensate for the expected flood of advertising material, possibly by granting licences and if necessary by utilizing it financially.
• The cultural significance of the Olympic Games in Munich will be underlined and especially emphasized by a non-uniform, but harmonious and artistic image.