两年多以前，联想的奥运行销活动就已经旗帜鲜明地提出设计和构思的重要性。北京奥组委开展了奥运会标语的设计竞赛。联想的设计师们提交了方案，但没有被采纳。组委会又举办了奥运火炬的设计竞赛，尽管火炬通常都是由专业的设计公司设计，但联想下决心一定要拿下这个任务。

    To get the creative juices flowing, Yao conducted a brainstorming session on Nov. 25, 2005, at the Jiu Hua Hot Spring Resort outside Beijing. He pulled together about 80 Lenovo designers, electrical engineers, and mechanical engineers, divided them into four teams, and challenged them to come up with design ideas. He wanted the design to work for the runners who carried the torch. In other words, it had to be light and easy to hold and hand off. But he also wanted striking imagery that would wow the people who viewed it—and he wanted it to reflect both the Olympic tradition and Chinese culture. The scene at the hotel was chaotic at first. The team members—including designers from China, Germany, Singapore, and New Zealand—were talking over each other in Chinese and English. "It was like vendors shouting in a crowded market," Yao recalls.

    为了激发创作灵感 ......