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The Power of Exponential Impact in Design
Do you think Carolyn Davidson, creator of the Nike logo, had any idea that her design would become an iconic cultural symbol, worldwide?
As a recent college graduate, she was offered a job by Phil Knight, founder of Nike (then called Blue Ribbon Sports, Inc.). His company needed a symbol to represent “movement” for an upcoming shoe line and Carolyn provided them five concepts drawn on a napkin. One of those concepts happened to be the infamous “swoosh”. She was paid $35 for her concept (this was in the 1970s) and after a bit of refinement, it was used as the company’s logo. The rest, well, is history…
I describe Caroyln’s work as exponential impact. She created something for her boss. Her boss utilized her work to represent the company’s products. The customers resonated with the product and brand. The brand grew. Over time, customers became advocates to evangelize the brand and suddenly the Nike logo becomes something bigger. It’s not just a logo, but a sense of being part of a special community; an idea formed that shoes and products marked with this special symbol brought a level of empowerment and energy that other brands could not.
