The Swoosh
The Swoosh
In the late 1960s, when Phil Knight was working as an assistant professor, he overheard a student saying she could no longer afford to take classes.
He introduced himself to the student, Carolyn Davidson, and offered to hire her to create charts and graphs for his side business, Nike. For the next two years, Davidson continued to work for Knight and was eventually asked to design a logo for the company.
After Davidson presented several drafts, Knight selected the Swoosh and immediately sent the design to the factory, giving her no time for a finished version. In the early 1970s, the Swoosh logo started to appear on footwear and apparel and ultimately was combined with the company name to form the official Nike logo.
After 40 years, the Swoosh is one of the most recognized and imitated symbols. It is estimated that every year Nike seizes over 4 million counterfeit shoes featuring fake Swoosh.
Originally Nike only paid Davidson $35 for the Swoosh design, but she was later compensated an undisclosed amount.
