The swoosh becomes a sploosh in this surreal project.
(Image credit: Zachary Winterton)
Ever imagined what Nike would look like if it sold seafood? No, us neither. But one imaginative designer has, saving us from the task. And while the product on offer is a whole different kettle of fish from Nike's usual offering, the results don't look like the fish out of water you might expect (No more fishy idioms from here on, we promise).
The project adapts Nike's famous swoosh logo, its 'Just do it' tagline and other elements of its branding to packaged salmon of all things. There's a clever nautical take on Nike's pinwheel logo, and the designer's even imagined what a Nike seafood store might look like. Strangely, that doesn't look as odd as you might seem, and it reminds us of why we rate the Nike logo in our pick of the best logos of all time.
What Nike's branding might look like if it sold seafood (Image credit: Zachary Winterton)
We've seen plenty of reimaginings of famous brands over the years, from medieval logo designs to neon makeovers and logo mashups that see big brands collide. But few times have we seen such a specific and fully developed creative whim as the reinvention of Nike as a seafood company.
Portland-based designer Zach Winterton has received plenty of praise for the concept on Reddit and other platforms. "OMG, I would eat Nike salmon if the promo looked like this!" one person commented. "How do you even think of these things? Like damn, teach me the way," another said.
One commentator even noted that it demonstrated Seth Goodin's use of Nike as an example of good branding – Goodin famously noted that if Nike were to open a hotel people would instantly be able to imagine what it would be like, but if Hilton said it was going to launch a shoe, people would have no idea. Winterton's work seems to similarly illustrate the power of Nike's branding, just with seafood rather than a hotel. The only concern that some people have is that the Nike seafood swoosh, or should it be sploosh, "looks a bit penisy".
While we're not expecting Nike to change direction and start selling seafood anytime soon, we actually like this surreal project a whole lot more than the bizarre Nike advert that the brand released back in April. If you're embarking on your own reimaginings of logos, make sure you've read our expert tips on how to design a logo. And if you need to upgrade your tools, see our pick of the best graphic design software.
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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
