Chapter 1
The thirty-five dollar doodle
Chapter 2
Becoming a billionaire brand
Chapter 3
The power of wordless design
Chapter 4
The global cultural takeover
YOUR GOAL
Master of The scribble that ran away with the world
Ch 3 · The power of wordless design
Fun Fact
The wordless club: Nike is one of the very few brands globally that is legally trademarked by a symbol alone, without any letters.
Glossary
swoosh (noun)
A fluid, curved design resembling a checkmark that represents speed, motion, or a rushing sound. In 1995, Nike removed its written name, allowing the swoosh to stand alone as a global trademark.
A fluid, curved design resembling a checkmark that represents speed, motion, or a rushing sound. In 1995, Nike removed its written name, allowing the swoosh to stand alone as a global trademark.
Quiz
What did Nike's transition to a color-neutral Swoosh in the late 1990s allow the brand to do?
Quiz
Why do visual psychologists believe the Swoosh's left-to-right upward curve feels positive to Western audiences?
Quiz
In what year did Nike remove the text "NIKE" from its logo, leaving only the standalone Swoosh?
Quiz
Which other global tech giant is famous for successfully using a wordless symbol as its main logo, similar to Nike?
Quiz
What were the primary corporate colors of the Nike Swoosh logo throughout most of the 1980s?
Quiz
What abstract feeling does the fluid, sweeping shape of the Swoosh design aim to trigger?