In addition, they sponsor athletic events, and just make the Nike symbol visible on apparel, banners, and ads. It kept their swoosh in public view and grew their brand influence. That went from paying Michael Jordan’s NBA fines for wearing Nike shoes with the logo displayed to using Tiger Woods in the midst of his affair scandal. However, the company was not afraid to have controversy surrounding the use of celebrities and their logo. Instead, they made sure it was always in prominent places on their products so everyone could see that Nike was the choice of both amateur and professional athletes. They did not place the design on a label hidden away on their products. The Nike logo is a simple design, but quickly and easily identified by consumers.

It symbolizes the active lifestyle message that brand associated with their products. The shape of the Nike Swoosh suggests energy and motion.

It has become so recognizable that it no longer has or needs the brand’s name with it. The Nike Swoosh resembles a check mark with curves instead of sharp angles. A detailed discussion of the development of the Nike logo, its design elements, and how Nike used it to help grow their brand follow is this article. The company used the iconic mark to help develop their brand identity. The the original Nike logo designer was Portland State University student, Carolyn Davidson. By 1980, the brand had a 50% share of the United States athletic shoe market. That same year, the Nike logo, the Swoosh came to be, and they started making their own shoes. However, in 1971, the company name changed to Nike after the Greek goddess of victory. Founded in 1964, Blue Ribbon Sports was a distributor of Onitsuka Tiger shoes. Nike is a manufacturer and retailer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment.