The symbol chosen to represent the British Commonwealth Games held in Christchurch in 1974 is commonly regarded as a high-water mark in New Zealand communication design, and an enduring ''icon'' of popular New Zealand culture.
It was designed by Wellington art director Colin Simon in response to a nationwide competition that was limited to professional designers.
Rules for the competition, which attracted more than 40 entries, specifically called for the use of ''black and one other colour''.
Simon inferred that the organisers would likely prefer the ''other colour'' to be red in deference to the host province of Canterbury but nonetheless explored other options as well.
In developing his design he decided that his red, white and blue combination was unquestionably the best option and duly submitted it along with a brief rationale regardless of the competition rules, but hedged his bets by also submitting a version in black and silver in order to avoid disqualification.
In choosing Simon's winning entry from a final selection of six, the judges clearly agreed with his bold call, the professor of fine arts from Canterbury University, H. J. Simpson commenting that Simon's red, white and blue design was highly adaptable and, ''an allusion to the marvellous old flag which once used to represent the Commonwealth''.
Simon was later to reveal that he was not only a first-class communication designer, but also an astute strategist.
Recalling the competition in 2010, he commented that he came up with the design in a lunchtime break and submitted his entry on the last possible day as he felt that this would give it a better chance of being noticed.
His win netted him a prize of $350, a very modest amount, all the more so considering that the competition organisers required the finalists to pay for their own return fares to the awards ceremony.
This was held in the Canterbury Society of Arts Gallery on February 22, 1971.
Simon's design became a huge success, so much so, that the legal and concessional committee of the Games organisers, which was charged with processing applications for its use, was overwhelmed with applications.
Perhaps their recommendation that, ''an energetic salesman should be engaged early to explore all possibilities for the sale of the symbol'' had been embraced a little too enthusiastically.
In all cases, however, final approval to use the logo rested with the Games' design committee, which had total control over aesthetic considerations pertaining to its use.
This led to a sometimes-fraught relationship with the marketing committee, which was anxious to maximise the symbol's financial potential.
Following the huge success of the symbol, Simon was subsequently paid an ex gratia payment of $1000.
Simon's masterpiece was last officially deployed as the logo for the financially disastrous Shipping Corporation of New Zealand, which was privatised by the Government in 1989.
So what makes Simon's design so special?
The four-sided symbol cleverly and succinctly communicates four important meanings within its symbolic structure.
Perhaps the most obvious of these is the strong allusion to the Union Jack as commented on by Prof Simpson.
Secondly, the Roman numeral X (10) is depicted through the diagonal axes of the design and the Christchurch Games were the 10th such event.
A third layer of meaning is communicated through the repeated ''NZ'' form of the design in each of the four quadrants, reminding the viewer of the host country's identity.
The symmetrical pattern formed by these quadrants allows the logo to be viewed identically in any orientation.
Finally, in the top right and lower left quadrants are the cleverly stylised numerals 74, recording the year that the Games were held, a subtle reference that is often missed by those less familiar with the logo.
The ''simple complexity'' of Simon's contemporary design was a clear break from the somewhat archaic visual language that characterised most of the nine preceding Games.
Arguably, the greatest success of the 1974 symbol is the impact that it had on Commonwealth Games logos for the next 20 years.
Every one of these makes exclusive of the red, white and blue combination pioneered by Simon's brave response to competition rules.
Simon's design has that rare quality of great design in that it can neither be added to nor subtracted from without compromising either its aesthetic and/or its function.
In addition, from our vantage point of more than 40 years on, it has clearly stood the test of time and its enduring legacy will doubtless continue well into the future.
The 1974 ''British Commonwealth Games'' were the last to be known as such.
From 1978 on they have been known simply as the ''Commonwealth Games''.
• Gavin O'Brien is a senior lecturer in product design at Otago Polytechnic and a graduate of the Otago Polytechnic School of Art.
