 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement .(March 2024) |
Carolyn Davidson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1943 (age 80–81) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Portland State University |
| Occupation | Graphic designer |
| Years active | (retired in 2000) [1] |
| Known for | Nike, Inc. |
| Notable work | Swoosh logo |
Carolyn Davidson is an American graphic designer best known for designing the Nike Swoosh logo.
Little is known about Davidson, who retired in 2000 and has not been found on public social media sites. She was last reported as spending her time quietly out of the spotlight, working on her personal interests after her fame and success relating to the Nike logo. [2]
Davidson designed the Swoosh in 1971 while a graphic design student at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. She started as a journalism major but switched to design after taking a design course to "fill an empty elective." [3] She attained a bachelor's in graphic design in 1971. [4] Phil Knight, who was teaching an accounting class at the university, overheard Davidson say that she couldn't afford oil painting supplies and asked her to do some work for what was then Blue Ribbon Sports, Inc. (later Nike). Knight offered Davidson a job in creating charts and graphs for his meetings with Japanese footwear executives. Her success with this work led to Davidson designing posters, ads, and flyers for the company. [5] In 1971, Knight and his co-founder needed a logo for a new line of running shoes they were getting ready to introduce. They asked Davidson to design a stripe (industry term for a shoe logo) that "had something to do with movement".
Davidson worked on her ideas by drawing on a piece of tissue over a drawing of a shoe. [6] She gave him five different designs, one of which was the Swoosh [7] which resembles a wing and hints at Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. [8]
Needing to choose a logo in order to meet looming production deadlines, Knight settled on the Swoosh after rejecting four other designs by Davidson. At the time, he stated of the logo, "I don't love it, but it will grow on me." [1] For her services, the company paid her $35, equivalent to $263in 2023. [9] Davidson continued working for Blue Ribbon Sports (it officially became Nike, Inc. in 1972) until the design demands of the growing company exceeded one person's capacity. In 1976, the company hired its first external advertising agency, John Brown and Partners, and Davidson went on to work on other clients' needs. [1]
In September 1983, nearly three years after the company went public, Knight invited Davidson to a company reception. There, he presented her with chocolate swooshes, a diamond ring made of gold and engraved with the Swoosh, and an envelope filled with 500 shares of Nike stock, then worth about seventeen cents per share or $85, [8] worth in 2023—after stock splits bringing the total to 32,000 shares—about $4 million. [10] Of the gift, Davidson says, "this was something rather special for Phil to do, because I originally billed him and he paid that invoice." [1] Davidson went on to be known as "The Logo Lady". [7] In 1995, Nike removed the word "Nike" from the logo; the Swoosh now stands alone as the brand's logo. [11]
Davidson retired in 2000, and now engages in hobbies and volunteer work, including weekly duties at the Ronald McDonald House at Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center in Oregon. [1]
Philip Hampson Knight is an American billionaire business magnate who is the co-founder and chairman emeritus of Nike, Inc., a global sports equipment and apparel company. He was previously its chairman and CEO. As of December 2023, Forbes estimated his net worth at $45.0 billion. He is also the owner of the stop motion film production company Laika. Knight is a graduate of the University of Oregon and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He was part of the track and field club under coach Bill Bowerman at the University of Oregon with whom he would later co-found Nike.
Nike Air Force is a range of athletic shoes made by Nike that began with Air Force 1. It was created by designer Bruce Kilgore and was the first basketball shoe to use Nike's "Air" technology. The shoe is offered in low-, mid- and high-top styles.
The Swoosh is the logo of American sportswear designer and retailer Nike. Today, it has become one of the most recognizable brand logos in the world, and the most valuable, having a worth of $26 billion alone.
Newport is an American brand of menthol cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. The brand was originally named for the seaport of Newport, Rhode Island.
William Jay Bowerman was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Over his career, he trained 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 22 NCAA champions and 16 sub-4 minute milers.
Tinker Linn Hatfield Jr. is an American designer of numerous Nike athletic shoe models, including the Air Jordan 3 through Air Jordan 15, the twentieth-anniversary Air Jordan XX, the Air Jordan XXIII, the 2010 (XXV), the 2015 Air Jordan XX9 (XXIX), and other athletic sneakers including the world's first "cross training" shoes, the Nike Air Trainer. Hatfield oversees Nike's "Innovation Kitchen". He is Nike's Vice President for Design and Special Projects. For his many innovative designs and numerous creations over more than three decades, Hatfield is considered a legend of design.
Mark Parker is an American businessman. He is the executive chairman of Nike, Inc. He was named the third CEO of the company in 2006 and was president and CEO until 13 January 2020. Since April 3, 2023, he has been chairman of The Walt Disney Company.
The "Jumpman" logo is owned by Nike to promote the Air Jordan brand of basketball sneakers and other sportswear. It is a silhouette of former NBA player and current Charlotte Hornets minority owner Michael Jordan.
The following is a timeline of notable events in the history of Nike, Inc.
Onitsuka Tiger is a Japanese sports fashion brand started in 1949 by Onitsuka Shōkai, a sports shoes company founded by Kihachiro Onitsuka. Onitsuka Shōkai changed its name to Onitsuka Co., Ltd. before becoming Asics Corporation in 1977. Since 1977, Onitsuka Tiger has been sold as a lifestyle brand of Asics.
The Public Service Building is a historic 67.06 m (220.0 ft), 15-story office building in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The building and its attached parking garage have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Public Service Building and Garage since 1996. It was built to house the offices of the Portland Gas and Coke Company and the Pacific Power and Light Company. The building's name reflects the fact that these utilities were "public services". A space in the Public Service Building fronting the corner of Salmon and Sixth streets became the first Niketown store.
Nike, Inc. is an American athletic footwear and apparel corporation headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$46 billion in its fiscal year 2022.
Nemo Design is a brand design agency and creative workshop based in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The company was established by Jeff Bartel, a snowboarding photographer Trevor Graves, and by Chris Hotz in 1999. It offers a variety of services, specializing in active lifestyle and culture brands.
Nike Blazer is a sneaker manufactured by Nike. It was originally released in 1973 as a basketball shoe.
The Nike Cortez is the first track shoe released by Nike in 1972, and is therefore thought to be a significant aspect to the success of the company. The Nike Cortez was first designed by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, aiming to produce a comfortable and durable running shoe for distance training and road running. The Nike Cortez was released at the peak of the 1972 Summer Olympics, and quickly gained interest by the general public. The shoe previously known as the Onitsuka Tiger Cortez was later renamed to the Onitsuka Tiger Corsair after Nike won a court battle to continue using name in 1974.
Pensole Footwear Design Academy is a footwear design school based in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 2010 by D’Wayne Edwards, the school has partnerships with institutions such as Parsons The New School for Design, Art Center College of Design, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as brands such as Foot Locker, Asics, and Adidas. Founder Edwards is a former design director of Brand Jordan, a subsidiary of Oregon based Nike. The school has also worked with Adidas, whose North American headquarters are in Portland, and also hold a design competition called the Future of Footwear.
Jack Joyce was an American business executive, lawyer who co-founded Rogue Ales in Ashland, Oregon, in 1988. The Portland Business Journal has called Joyce, "One of the men most responsible for Oregon's reputation as one of the nation's preeminent beer-making regions." Joyce was also one of the original executives at Nike during the company's early years. Rogue Ales was producing 105,000 barrels by 2013, ranking it among the top twenty-five craft breweries in the United States.
Nike and Off-White: "The Ten" was a sneakers collaboration between Nike and Off-White in 2017. It initially involved the deconstruction of ten iconic Nike silhouettes, designed by Founder and CEO of Off-White, Virgil Abloh. The ten shoes were individually broken down by Abloh, and then rebuilt with a different design and rearranged components. The collaboration sold out and the shoes became highly sought after. Further additions to this collaboration were then added throughout 2018 and 2019 which included endorsements from athletes and celebrities but are not included in the original "ten".
Carolyn Davidson may refer to:
John Hoke III is an American architect and designer who is the chief innovation officer of Nike, Inc. He leads the company's design team which includes more than 1,000 product and industrial designers, graphic designers, and fashion designers, as well as architects, interface, and digital content designers.
| Subsidiaries |
|  | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brands | |||||||||
| Products |
| ||||||||
| People | |||||||||
| Advertisement | |||||||||
| Original Run series | |||||||||
| Sponsorships | |||||||||
| Related topics | |||||||||
