Great Branding Doesn't Try to Change the World

...despite what Hype Dads may say

The Swoosh never meant to “change the world,” even by the most generous definition of that insipid phrase. It was a rushed, practical decision. A box checked. This is how most iconic brands are born.

Nike launched in 1964 as an Onitsuka running shoe importer named Blue Ribbon Sports. In 1971, founder Phil Knight fell out with the Japanese, and decided to develop his own line. He asked Carolyn Davidson, an artist acquaintance from Portland State, to sketch a few logo ideas based on “the concept of motion.” That was the entire brief.

Here’s how Knight describes what happened next (from his autobiography Shoe Dog):

“Her designs did evoke motion, of a kind, but also motion sickness. None spoke to me. I singled out a few that held out some promise and asked her to work with those. Days later—or was it weeks?—Carolyn returned and spread a series of sketches across the conference table…these were better….Gradually we inched toward consensus. We liked…this one…slightly more than the others. I…