New shoes and animations pay homage to the famous design.
(Image credit: Nike)
The Nike Swoosh is one of the world's most recognisable logos. To celebrate the legacy of this iconic piece of branding, Nike recently released a trio of new footwear ranges that feature different versions of the tick-shaped design. It's also worked with nine animators to pay homage to the Swoosh.
The shoes have been released alongside Foot Locker Inc as part of a collection called The Evolution of the Swoosh. In our guide to logo design we looked at how the Swoosh's simplicity is the secret to its enduring success, so it makes sense to revisit classic iterations for this range.
And when you consider that the designer of the Swoosh, graphic design student Carolyn Davidson, was only paid $35 for her logo idea back in 1971, it looks like Nike has made a significant return on her work.
As for the shoes in the new range, they include the Script Swoosh, Sunburst, and Swoosh Chain 'packs'. As its name suggest, the script pack features Davidson's hand-drawn Swoosh. Meanwhile the Sunburst shoes sport a circular variation of the Swoosh that appeared on apparel. Finally, the Swoosh Chain sneakers are decked out with little interlinking Swooshes. Take a look at them in the gallery below.
Image 1 of 3
The Sunburst logo made its debut in 1972(Image credit: Nike)
The Swoosh Chain Pack is exclusively for kids(Image credit: Nike)
Nine animators at the Portland-based agency One Hundred were also called upon to promote the impact of the Swoosh in their own distinctive art styles. These include cult animators such as Mason London (aka Joe Pyrtherch), as well as Tiago Majuelos, Julian Glander, and Drew Tyndell.
Take a look at how they interpreted the Swoosh in the looping animations below. It's worth noting that these clips interpret popular trainers such as the Air Max 97, the React Element 55, and the Nike Air Force 1, all of which are part of the Evolution of the Swoosh collection.
A photo posted by @drewtyndell on Jul 30, 2019 at 10:40am PDT
The Swoosh isn't the only successful piece of Nike branding, either. Earlier this year its tagline, 'just do it', was voted the most memorable brand slogan. So clearly Nike knows how to make a lasting impression with customers.
Get top Black Friday deals sent straight to your inbox: Sign up now!
We curate the best offers on creative kit and give our expert recommendations to save you time this Black Friday. Upgrade your setup for less with Creative Bloq.
Dom Carter is a freelance writer who specialises in art and design. Formerly a staff writer for Creative Bloq, his work has also appeared on Creative Boom and in the pages of ImagineFX, Computer Arts, 3D World, and .net. He has been a D&AD New Blood judge, and has a particular interest in picture books.
