Nike logo case study

The company takes its name from the Greek goddess of victory, Nike. The goddess was an inspiration to Greek warriors. When the warriors won a war they used the say ‘Nike’ to each others.

The Nike logo was designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971. Originally, the logo was called as ‘the srtip’, which later became well known as ‘Swoosh’. Swoosh referred to the fibers that the Nike shoes used that time. The Nike swoosh logo made its first public appearance on the shoes in the spring of 1972. At that time, the Nike symbol was printed on the vamp of an athletic shoe.

The company registered the logo as its trademark in 1995. Since then, the Nike sign is the exclusive brand identity of Nike Inc.

Meaning Of The Nike Logo

The Swoosh is a sound that we hear when something zips past quickly by our side. This word stands for fast sound, speed, and motion. This is the reason that the logo is in a shape that shows an arch of movement.

01. Shape

The Nike swoosh logo is shaped as a wing of the Greek goddess of Victory, Nike. So, the designer had the wing shape in mind because of the goddess. By borrowing the shape and other design elements from mythical, cultural, and historical sources, you can engage people with the design.

02. Color

The swoosh logo has been appearing in different colors. It appeared in strong black color for many years. Then, a dull orange shade was introduced as a brand color.

03. Font

The Nike sign is a symbol. But the slogan ‘Just Do It’ was sometime added to the top side of the logo. The company name also features on the logo at times. The font used for the text looks elegant. The company name appears in bold letters as a means advertising the brand.

The font appears to be Futura Bold Condensed Oblique with minor tweaks. There is some slanting of the letter K to make the text distinctive and visible. Nike was written on the logo in Futura bold until 1995.

The company name was there within the Swoosh. One of the qualities of Futura is that it is a sans serif font and has features of geometric shapes. Most of graphic designers were fond of using Futura in the last century. This font stands for values like forwardness and efficiency.

Nike removed the company name from the logo after 1995. The Nike Swoosh was the left in the logo design as only identifier of the company.