International Biology Olympiad
Visual identity for IBO 2026
Moira Visuals, a Lithuanian design agency, created the visual identity for the 2026 International Biology Olympiad (IBO 2026) in Lithuania. The Lithuanian Agency of Non-formal Education (LINEŠA) commissioned the work through a public procurement process. The project covered event identity strategy and graphic design across digital media, print, clothing and laboratory equipment.
Strategy
How do you bring biology, an international Olympiad and its student participants into one visual identity? A review of international Olympiad symbols and previous student competition identities led us back to the event’s own name. Two letters in IBO contain circular forms. In a biology diagram, a circle can represent structures at very different scales. In the context of an Olympiad, it also brings the Olympic rings to mind.
Two questions guided design reviews with the LINEŠA team responsible for the event and its communications. Would students recognise a connection to biology? And would the idea work on both a small enamel pin and a display stand seen from across a room?
Design
The two curves of the B gave us two small circles. The O supplied a larger one. Varying their size, colour and arrangement produced a family of playful forms resembling microorganisms, with a subtle reference to the Olympic rings.
Scale changes what a circle suggests. A dot can stand for an atom, a cluster for a molecule, and a repeating pattern can recall cells or fish eggs. At the other end of the scale, the same shape traces the outline of the Earth. The Earth’s rotation and the axes of a coordinate system informed how the forms move and how they sit within a composition.
Moira Visuals later built the IBO 2026 Shape Game for use in the studio. It lets us compose patterns for different layouts, animate them and export the results as video.
Results
Event communications. LINEŠA received a logo, colour palette, graphic elements and an identity guide explaining how to combine them. Applications included stationery, PowerPoint slides, an information stand, a Facebook announcement and a website hero image.
Clothing and merchandise. The same elements produced four T-shirt designs and four enamel pins with packaging. The range also included sweatshirts, a backpack, a cap, a water bottle, an accreditation lanyard, a pen and a pencil with packaging.
Laboratory equipment. The circular forms took on a practical role in a series of test tube holders. Students can use the 3D models designed by Moira Visuals to print their own holders for laboratory work.
