The visual identity for LA28 has been made public almost eight years in advance of the Games, the earliest that such a design has ever been revealed.

"Anchored with a bold and static L 28," it incorporates what organisers described as a "dynamic interchanging A". The decision to produce a moving digital logo is deliberate.

Los Angeles 2028 supremo Casey Wasserman insisted it was to reflect the "unique identity" of every citizen. "LA defies a singular identity," he said.

It has already appeared in the official merchandise store in a range of designs and one "retro" tee shirt with similarities to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic logo was listed this week as "almost gone".

When Los Angeles last hosted the Olympics in 1984 the Organising Committee (LAOOC) was led by Peter Ueberroth, a successful businessman. It was clear from the outset that his organisation would not receive any financial assistance from the public purse at either state or federal level.

Promotional activities were restricted by the Olympic Charter. This prescribed that: "Publicity for any Olympic Games should not be released before the conclusion of the preceding Olympic Games".

When the LAOOC delegation reported to the 1980 International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Moscow, they were already acutely aware of the importance of their "intellectual" properties.

They took with them a dossier showing the logo. This had been designed by Robert Miles Runyan and Associates and was the product of some 4,000 sketches.

"The star is a universal symbol of the highest aspirations of mankind, the horizontal bars portray the speed with which the contestants pursue excellence while the repetition of the star shape connotes the spirit of competition between equally outstanding physical forms," they told the IOC.

"The market value and the commercial importance of the emblem, for both promotional and advertising purposes, made it essential that the LAOOC secure approval as early as possible." The IOC gave the new emblem its blessing.

Moscow’s own Olympic symbol had been seen on the big screen at the Montreal 1976 Closing Ceremony, but the newly-approved LA logo was not displayed in the same way in Moscow. The United States government had spearheaded a campaign to boycott the Games. The White House even sent orders forbidding the use of the Stars and Stripes at the Closing Ceremony.

In fact there was no formal American participation except for the flying of the Los Angeles city flag alongside the national flags of Greece and the Soviet Union.

The day after the Flame was extinguished in Moscow, the Los Angeles logo was publicly launched the following day as the "Star in Motion".

It became very widely known over the next four years. It appeared in publications, on a multitude of pin badges and often, significantly, coupled with the name of companies who sponsored the Games.

It also played a significant part in the "look" of the Games and was incorporated in uniforms and in the decoration of venues at the Games.

When in turn, when the Los Angeles Games came to an end, it was revealed that they had generated a surplus of more than $225 million ($176,000/€190,000).

In the wake of this success, the IOC launched its own marketing plan. Introduced in 1985 it was entitled "The Olympic Partners" (TOP).

In his book Olympic Turnaround, former IOC marketing director Michael Payne described the sponsorship landscape before TOP as "time consuming, frustrating and unworkable".

In the years which followed, the spotlight on any new logo intensified, particularly after the advent of social media.

On July 24 2015, exactly five years before Tokyo’s Olympics were originally supposed to open, a grand ceremony was held in front of Metropolitan Hall to unveil its new symbol. Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori described it as "a wonderful work of art and a symbol behind which the whole of Japan can unite as a single integrated body."

Kenjiro Sano’s design was to symbolise "the full meaning of coming together as one".

Tokyo 2020’s publicity machine proclaimed that it represented "an inclusive world, in which everyone accepts each other".

But there was soon trouble. Belgian artist Olivier Debie was not so keen to accept the logo. He pointed out similarities with a symbol he had created for the Théâtre de Liège almost four years before.

Debie accused Tokyo 2020 of plagiarism and threatened to take legal action. This did not happen but Sano’s logo was not seen again.

Within a few weeks, Olympic organisers had established an "Emblems Selection Committee". The stated aim was "to ensure an open process for the earliest possible selection of Games emblems that will have widespread appeal." In a competition which was open for a month, organisers claimed to have received 14,599 entries.

A 20-member panel was assembled to choose the winning design. It included four-time Olympic tennis player Ai Sugiyama, three-time Paralympic shooter Aki Taguchi, artists, university professors in design, television personalities and - perhaps most significantly - two attorneys at law.

Finally, in April 2016, Asao Tokolo’s "Harmonised chequered emblem" was revealed. It represented "different countries, cultures and ways of thinking".

The need for sponsor exclusivity has forced many Organising Committees to jettison elegant bid logos.

The logo used by London’s 2012’s Bid Committee had cleverly incorporated the colours of the Olympic rings with a stylistic representation of the River Thames. The logo that replaced it was designed by Wolff Olins at a reported cost of £400,000 ($511,000/€431,000) but it polarised opinion from the outset.

In the race for 2012, Paris had been the city to lose out in the final round of voting. As part of the campaign, the Eiffel Tower had been decorated with the bid logo.

When Paris launched its candidacy for 2024, a stylised representation of the Eiffel Tower was used.

In October last year, 700 runners helped announce the Games emblem for Paris.

This included "the gold medal, the flame and Marianne, the personification of the French Republic". The presence of Marianne was a "homage to women" as they first competed at the Paris 1900 Olympics.

Gustave Eiffel’s most famous creation was not included. There were many who demanded to know why it had not been used. Yet when the Parisians last staged the Olympics in 1924, their emblem was a sailing ship leaving harbour. Again, no sign of the Eiffel Tower.

In those days the design appeared on the letterhead of the Organising Committee, on some official pin badges and in the official report.

The next stage in the imagery of the Games for Paris and Los Angeles will be the unveiling of the mascots. This will come about two years out .

Whatever the designs chosen, the Organising Committees will be bracing themselves for another social media frenzy.