Almost no person in the world wouldn’t recognize the cool Nike logo (swoosh). Since 1971, the Nike logo meaning (swoosh) is backed up by the brand’s quality and teaches designers that the real secret of elegance lies in simplicity.
The Nike logo design is among the most popular and recognizable in the design world. However, the Nike logo’s history and design are straightforward. Let’s discover the Nike logo meaning.
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Where Does The Nike Logo Come From?
Image source: Ryan Putnam
The brain of the operation was Carolyn Davidson, an ambitious Portland State University student hired by accounting professor Phil Knight, who later became one of the company’s co-founders.
Back in the day, Knight ran a business of his own, Blue Ribbon Sports. The company didn’t even produce sports equipment; it imported it from Japan (primarily Onitsuka Tiger shoes).
How Much Did The Company Pay Carolyn Davidson For Creating The Symbol?
It was not a famous advertising company that asked millions to reaffirm its brand. However, freelance designer Carolyn Davidson charged a total invoice of $35 and never even thought she’d done such a masterpiece.
Image Source: Marcelo Schultz
As we mentioned before, this masterpiece cost only $35 to create. But wait, there’s more to the story.
Knight overheard Davidson discussing how she couldn’t afford the oil painting class she wanted to attend, even though she hadn’t applied for the job. Aware of her potential, Knight approached her and offered the graphics assignments at only $14 per day. Davidson accepted and continued working on a variety of Blue Ribbon Sports projects. Once Knight decided to produce his shoe line instead of importing Japanese products. The logo idea was born and assigned to Davidson.
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It took her about three weeks to create the final design and approximately 17.5 hours to perfect it. The idea was to draw an original shoe and then put it on a tissue to see how it looked. According to what she shared, the challenge was that it had to be a small logo design that could fit the shoe and look good on it simultaneously.
Right before the deadline was over, Knight gathered five or six ideas and presented them to Bob Woodell and Jeff Johnson (who thought of the new name for the business). Knight also glanced at her work but didn’t find it highly satisfying.
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First, he considered the Nike check and said it could be an interesting choice, even if it didn’t completely blow him off his shoes. Like every designer, Davidson felt disappointed by his reaction. His exact words were, ‘It will grow on me.’
Davidson tried harder to perfect the Nike swoosh, but Knight refused. Eventually, she submitted the invoice for payment and gave up.
This story inspires us because it reveals that the world-famous logo wasn’t simply ‘ripped off’ from the beginning. Even Davidson wasn’t too excited about it; she described it as’ a fair piece for the money she was paid.’
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Image source: Damasso
She didn’t foresee the logo’s popularity or how it would affect her future career. She was happy she got the money for her oil painting class.
Still, that’s not where the story ends. Upon graduation in 1975, Davidson quit and continued her freelance career. Unexpectedly, more and more clients approached her, impressed by her previous work. This is why she believes this company had much to do with her success.
Image source: Turgay Mutlay
In 1983, Knight honored her for her role as one of the masterminds behind Nike’s early development. He organized a surprise party for her, during which she was presented with a unique golden ring adorned with a Nike swoosh diamond and was granted ownership of 500 company shares.
What did 500 Nike shares mean at the time? At the current dollar rate, it would be approximately $18,000. It may not sound that much, but it was a reasonable gift for someone who did such a small job to make it happen.
They never cashed up the shares, which is the best part about it. Following the stock splits that have happened since, the total number she owns today is 8000 shares. Considering today’s price per share ($60), that makes half a million.
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Image source: ∆ Studio–JQ ∆
Quite a catch for 17 hours of part-time work and a curvy checkmark?
What Is The Meaning Of Nike Swoosh Symbol?
What does the Nike symbol mean? Generally, the swoosh stands for speed and motion. The idea behind it is to depict movement or replicate sound.
Michael Jordan makes it when he zips past the opponent and makes a spectacular dunk.
On the other hand, the name relates to Greek mythology, where this brand served as a winged Victory Goddess.
The associations are similar to victory, fight, and speed, as the Goddess we mentioned was also flying.
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Image Source: R A D I O
Flying is an attribute we nowadays attribute to Michael Jordan, the celebrity player who signed two of Nike’s greatest products (Air Jordans and Jordan Flight), the same as the famous Wings Poster.
However, one cannot attribute victory and speed as the only connotations of the Nike sign.
Numerous transformations have occurred to it in the last decades, and million-dollar upgrades have enhanced its visibility and connotations.
The way it is today, it stands for transcendence among sports, urban hip-hop, basketball heroism, and much more.
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Image Source: Marcelo Schultz
If you’re interested in creating branding design, we recommend you read Naomi Klein’s book No Logo. In it, she discusses the Nike brand’s philosophy and the logo’s influence on the company’s success. The book is generally about marketing and branding and tackles strategies such as outsourcing design to foreign and affordable contractors.
According to the author, this brand didn’t impose a type of shoes but a lifestyle, and that means its value will never decrease. At the same time, she researched other companies and popular marketing strategies to reaffirm her point.
The Check Mark
Image Source: Marcelo Schultz
There is more to the Nike logo meaning than the checkmark.
Let us share another exciting story about an art professor. This professor liked to ask pupils about their favorite logos and associate those with their emotions. This brand was rarely out of the discussion, as at least one kid was wearing Nikes in the room.
When asked what this logo represented, most children said ‘checkmark.’ However, a proper checkmark would likely reveal that the Nike swoosh differs significantly from it. The regular checkmark’s lines converge at a sharp angle (as seen in examples like Verizon), whereas the swoosh is curved. Therefore, Nike’s logo is not a checkmark.
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The Design Elements Applied
Popular Oregon’s shoes and sports clothing company has a lot to thank its logo for. It is one of its most powerful assets nowadays and a symbol of its leading corporate identity, reaffirming its giant share in today’s sports industry.
The Name – What Does Nike Mean?
The Nike logo’s meaning is more profound than you think. The logo’s name was inspired by the Greek victory Goddess Swoosh. It is well-known that her wings bring strength and motivation to warriors, which is why the initial Nike strip was altered into a Swoosh, and you now see it on many T-shirt designs.
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The Nike Symbol Color
Image source: Julian Burford
The most typical color is a dull orange, the same time as the brand identity shade of the company. The revolutionary approach of this brand’s designers transformed it many times and used many other colors, including solid black.
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Nike Symbol Text
Image source: Jason Wright
Nike is usually written in a simple and bold font to make its name sound more glorious and powerful.
More often than not, the name is accompanied by an even more powerful slogan (Just Do It), which the Advertising Age selected to be the top ad slogan of the entire 20th century. Using an elegant font for a brilliant slogan was an excellent idea to keep Nike logo meaning on top of the sports fashion world. We hope you have enjoyed exploring the Nike logo meaning!
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