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With just the Swoosh as its logo, Nike has become a household name. Inscribing the word "Nike" into The Swoosh represents Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.
The "Swoosh" sound occurs when something rapidly passes by our side. The word connotes rapid sound, motion, and movement, which is why the iconic logo sweeps forward in the shape of an arch.
The logo is familiar to the majority of sneakerheads who are huge fans of this footwear company, and some may even be aware of its history. Nonetheless, there are some facts about the Nike logo that you may be unaware of and will most likely find fascinating.
5 surprising Nike logo facts you probably didn't know
1) The famous Nike logo was designed for just $35!
Nike's swoosh logo was designed by Portland State University student Carolyn Davidson.
In 1971, Phil Knight, the company's co-founder, approached Davidson about creating the logo because of a time crunch. Despite Davidson's many suggestions, Nike's founder Phil Knight chose the "Swoosh" as the company's symbol.
Even though Davidson's "Swoosh" logo is now instantly recognizable around the globe, Nike only paid him $35 ($2 per hour) when he created it.
2) Nike's logo was inspired by the Greek goddess of victory
To fully grasp the significance of the Nike symbol, we must look to the Ancient Greeks and their god Nike, the goddess of victory who is often depicted with wings.
The Greek goddess is often associated with strength and speed in addition to victory and she wears a pair of gold sandals to show this off. Some of our readers may be more familiar with her distant relative, the Roman goddess Victoria.
Nike may not be as well-known as other Greek gods like Zeus or Athena, but her place in mythology's pantheon should not be discounted. Legend has it that Nike befriended Zeus and Poseidon.
3) The original Nike logo was red
The Nike "Swoosh" logo was not always black like it is now. Instead, Nike's logo has long featured a red-and-white color scheme. The color red was chosen to represent energy, passion and joy, while the color white was chosen to represent nobility, purity, and charm. Later, the company changed the color scheme of the "Swoosh" logo to make it more slick and sophisticated.
Furthermore, Nike temporarily placed their logo inside a red square. This only lasted a short time, but by the mid-1980s, Nike had secured significant athlete endorsements, with Michael Jordan being the most well-known.
Nike's catchphrase was "Just Do It" in the 1980s. According to legend, the phrase was inspired by Gary Gilmore, a death row murderer who is said to have yelled "let's do it" just before his execution.
4) The earliest Nike logo did not appear on sneakers
The Nike "swoosh" logo alone conjures images of their legendary sneakers. The Nike swoosh, on the other hand, was initially missing from Nike's footwear. In reality, the first shoe with the Nike logo on it was a soccer cleat, with Nike introducing its "The Nike" football boot in 1971.
This sneaker marks the debut of Nike's iconic swoosh branding. Because of its poor performance in wet and cold weather, the $16.95 shoe quickly lost ground to other popular brands of the time.
5) The design was repeatedly turned down
The logo, which we now consider to be impressive, was not immediately popular. Initially, the business owners disapproved of the design. After presenting the sketches, they politely inquired if Davidson had any additional designs to display.
Phil Knight merely rejected it, claiming that he would outgrow the design. After seeing his response, Davidson made greater efforts to improve the logo. However, Knight was not pleased with the arrangement. Consequently, Davidson gave up and wrote the invoice.
Which of these facts about the Nike logo you didn't know? Let us know in the comments down below.
