What Is the Nike Logo?
The Nike logo is the Swoosh, a single curved stroke shaped like a stretched tick, used on its own or with the name NIKE. Portland State University design student Carolyn Davidson drew it in 1971 for a fee of $35. The logo belongs to Nike, Inc., the sportswear company based in Beaverton, Oregon, that Phil Knight and his former University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman started as Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964.
Nike's Jordan Brand has a mark of its own: the Jumpman, a silhouette of Michael Jordan in mid-leap. The Swoosh is available as the Nike logo SVG.
Nike Logo Facts
| Designer | Carolyn Davidson |
| Introduced | 1971 |
| Symbol | The Swoosh, a curved stroke |
| Logo type | Abstract mark: a shape with no literal picture |
| Owner | Nike, Inc. |
What the Nike Logo Means
The Swoosh was drawn to show movement. Knight asked Davidson to work on a shoe stripe, a mark for the side of the shoe, and the brief was that it should have something to do with motion. Its fluid curve also looks like a wing, a nod to the company's name: Nike is the Greek goddess of victory.
The name and the mark arrived separately. Davidson drew the Swoosh before the name was chosen. Jeff Johnson, the first full-time employee of Blue Ribbon Sports, proposed "Nike" and said the name had come to him in a dream.
Nike Logo History
Blue Ribbon Sports began in 1964 as the American distributor for Onitsuka Tiger running shoes from Japan. Knight taught accounting at Portland State, where he overheard Davidson, a design student, and offered her paid work on charts, posters and adverts.
When the company planned its own shoes, Knight asked her for a stripe. She drew five designs on tissue paper, laid them over shoes, and the company picked the Swoosh. She billed 17.5 hours of work, which came to $35. Knight reportedly did not love the mark but said it might grow on him.
The Swoosh was first used commercially on 18 June 1971, a date noted in a trademark filing Blue Ribbon Sports made in January 1972.
In 1983 Nike invited Davidson to a lunch and gave her a gold Swoosh ring set with a diamond, plus 500 shares of Nike stock. Through stock splits those shares grew to about 32,000.
The Swoosh and the Jumpman
The Swoosh is not the only famous Nike mark. Peter Moore, who became Nike's first creative director in 1983, designed the first Air Jordan shoes and their Wings logo. In 1988 the Jumpman replaced the Wings as the main logo of the Air Jordan line, and in 1997 Nike made Jordan a brand of its own (see the Jordan logo).
Moore later went to work for Adidas, where he designed the three slanted bars of the Adidas logo. Adidas and its neighbour Puma, the leaping cat of the Puma logo, were both founded by Dassler brothers in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
For more brands like Nike, browse our sports logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed the Nike Swoosh?
Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student at Portland State University, drew it in 1971.
How much was the Nike logo designer paid?
Davidson charged $35 for 17.5 hours of work. In 1983 Nike also gave her a diamond Swoosh ring and 500 shares of stock.
What does the Nike Swoosh represent?
It was drawn to suggest movement, and its curve looks like a wing, a reference to Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.
Who came up with the name Nike?
Jeff Johnson, the first full-time employee of Blue Ribbon Sports, who said the name came to him in a dream.