Ten most important Nike logos of all time 

Nike’s “swoosh” logo is irrefutable, the most important part of its identity as a brand. Nike has the highest brand value in the entire fashion industry currently and the “swoosh” is the graphic identity of this 29 billion dollar brand. It is one of the most recognizable logos in the world for 50 years. Nike’s logo library extends far wider than the Swoosh. They have created several logos to represent their products and some of them are iconic. Let’s take a look at some of the most memorable logos from Nike’s catalog.

Kobe Bryant

In 2003, after proving his dominance in the league, Kobe officially became a sponsored Nike Athlete and joined an elite list of Nike Athletes who received their own logo with their signature shoe.

The first-ever logo for Kobe Bryant was actually his signature in 2006, but later that year Tom Luedecke, who left Nike for Under Armor in 2013, created the mark that has stood since. Looking for a symbol of Kobe’s personality and style, Nike design legend Tinker Hatfield and Luedecke worked on a mark that began as backward and forwards Ks laid on top of each other. “If you actually look at it, there’s a ‘K’ in both directions like an anagram,” Hatfield says. “And it was what we thought was aggressive and gladiator-like.”

“The Sheath” has represented Kobe as a basketball player ever since and was first put on the Nike Huarache 2k5 shoe. The logo replaced the traditional Nike “swoosh,” and can be found on all of his sneakers created ever since.

Nike Huarache

Nike Huarache is a popular sneaker designed by Tinker Hatfield. The logo for the Huarache brand was designed by John Norma in 1993. The original Huarache mark is highly regarded and still works today. The 1993 circular mark uses words to ring a futuristic design inside. Updated later to let the wave-like bends stand on their own, the Huarache mark offers a unique perspective within the Nike product designs.

Tiger Woods

Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins and ranks second in men’s major championships and also holds numerous golf records. Woods is widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers, and one of the most famous athletes of all time. The 2003 version of the interlocking initials for golf’s biggest star became one of the most recognizable signature athlete logos. The logo was ubiquitous at every single appearance he made, catapulting that logo to prominence, not just in the golf community but worldwide.

Nike T-90

This is a relatively simple Nike logo but had a huge impact on the brand. The 2004 release of the Total 90 logo for the Total 90 III shoe became so popular in European fashion and casual shoe circles that it briefly catapulted Nike to top spot in global sales, and Nike responded by releasing all kinds of product variations. The popularity led Nike to do plenty of pinks and fancy colors, flooding the market. As the trend faded, Nike was seen more as a fashion company and had to re-establish itself as an on-field performance brand.

Serena Williams

Tennis star Serena Williams wasn’t the first woman to get her own Nike logo—that happened in the 1990s with the likes of Sheryl Swoops and Mia Hamm. The Serena logo, designed by Mark Smith in 2005, has adorned a variety of eye-catching apparel and footwear across the 23 Grand Slam titles won by Williams. The most common location for the highly stylized and ribbon-like “SW” has been the tongue of the Nike Court Flare shoes worn by her.

Just do it

Just Do It is a trademark of shoe company Nike, and it is one of the core components of Nike’s brand. The slogan was coined in 1988 at an advertising agency meeting. The Just Do It logo, created by Ron Dumas, first appeared in 1989, giving graphic identity to Nike’s most recognizable brand slogan. The basic design and boldness of the font, coupled with the marketing know-how of the brand, elevated a simple design to global status, whether seen on television commercials or across apparel.

Nike Flight

Inspired by basketball shoes from the late ’80s, the Nike Flight Legacy updates a classic look for modern times. Lightweight cushioning and a full rubber outsole give you retro design details and modern comfort. A durable, full-length rubber outsole has a classic ’80s basketball look and feel. While the first use of Flight in a logo series actually appeared in 1989 as part of the Jumpman Flight logo, the Flight script took on its own form in 1989. But it was really the 1991 Flight logo that took a singular departure from the light Flight script of the years past by making the Flight word mark smaller and erasing the script, placing it all atop an airplane-inspired and stylistic oversized “F.”

Jumpman

The Wings logo adorned the first two Air Jordan models before Moore decided it was becoming too juvenile for the sophisticated-dressing Jordan. Moore famously traced a Jordan pose seen in a Nike poster into a logo. The Jumpman logo was born. That 1988 creation was Moore’s attempt to create a symbol that people would recognize immediately that could begin to stand for his new style.

The Wings logo adorned the first two Air Jordan models before Moore decided it was becoming too juvenile for the sophisticated-dressing Jordan. Moore famously traced a Jordan pose seen in a Nike poster into a logo. The Jumpman logo was born. That 1988 creation was Moore’s attempt to create a symbol that people would recognize immediately that could begin to stand for his new style.

The Swoosh

The Nike Swoosh: It is one of the most recognizable logos in the world. You might imagine that an image so iconic would have been designed by an important advertising or branding firm that was paid millions to come up with the advertising scheme. But you’d be wrong if you thought that. In reality, the Nike Swoosh was designed by graphic designer Carolyn Davidson in 1971. Her invoice total for this important piece of design history? $35.

The history of Nike’s original logo is well known. Coming off the Blue Ribbon Sports days, co-founder Phil Knight’s newly named Nike needed an official mark. Portland State University graphic design student Carolyn Davidson created the Swoosh, originally dubbed the Stripe when it was created in 1971. With Nike script lettering beneath, the combo held steady until 1976, when Nike changed the font to Futura, which remains today. The only other change to the logo came in 1995 when Nike dropped the lettering altogether and switched the “warm red” to orange, the color of the brand today.

Nike Air

With Nike script lettering beneath, the combo held steady until 1976, when Nike changed the font to Futura, which remains today. The only other change to the logo came in 1995 when Nike dropped the lettering altogether and switched the “warm red” to orange, the color of the brand today.