The humble tick, that you prayed would appear in red pen on the bottom of your essay, has had a different meaning since 1971, as it has been at the forefront of a little brand in the sportswear industry you may of heard of. The Nike Swoosh now has to be one of the most recognisable logos on this little blue planet.

This global heavyweight was founded in 1964 by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman. Bowerman was a running coach from Portland always striving for a better performance from his track and field students, and in his spare time was working on improving their shoes. Bowerman was obsessed with shaving weight off his athletes running shoes, after all a bad workman will blame his tools. Knight was a middle distance runner who went into partnership with Bowerman to create Blue Ribbon Sports, the name doesn’t quite roll of the tongue does it?

In 1971, Carolyn Davidson a graphic design student, becomes a big factor in the brand gaining the identity it has now. She was sat in a hall, with a empty purse wishing she could afford to take a class, when she was then approached by accounting professor Phil Knight about freelance graphic work for his company. BRS then decided to branch out and launch their own brand of football shoe, called the Nike.

Knight asked Davidson to help him design a stripe or a logo for the side panel of his athletic shoes. Nike’s namesake the Greek Goddess of victory, is the main inspiration behind the logo, as her wings represented movement and speed. Over 17 and a half hours were spent on the design, and she invoiced a mere $35 for the logo, that has stood the test of time.

Davidson sketched her designs onto tissue paper, so she could place them over a shoe drawing, to see if the logo could look clean and classic. The Swoosh is created with two smooth curved lines, to enforce the onomatopoeia of the slick motion.

Knight half-heartedly selected the logo saying “I don’t love it, but it will grow on me”

The logo got a refreshing update in 1978, Nike opted for a bolder, all-caps font and a slight re-positioning of the Swoosh. The Swoosh  has went on to become one of the most iconic images in the world, so much that in 1995 the company chose to remove the brand name of the original design, leaving the Swoosh as the sole symbol of the company.

Feeling inspired to don the Swoosh? Shop our full range of Nike products here