Carolyn Davidson is a graphic designer best known for designing the Nike Swoosh logo. Long before former Design Indaba Conference speaker Dan Wieden coined “Just Do It” for the brand, Davidson was approached by Nike’s co-founder Phil Knight to come up with an identity for the company. Carolyn Davidson is a Denver freelance journalist based in Denver. Carolyn Davidson designed the Nike swoosh in 1971. At the time it was trading as Blue Ribbon Sports. [4] In 1971, Knight and his co-founder needed a logo for a new line of running shoes they were getting ready to introduce. For the 2017 Gift Guide, I found myself running around Boulder, Denver (and everywhere in between) to find items to feature, styling the photoshoots and meticulously writing down the details of every item featured (over 70!).

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." With so many options in the Mile High City and surrounding areas, it wasn’t easy to narrow down our favorites…but these six spots offer the best al fresco vibes and tastiest margaritas around. It’s hard to believe that the job earned her $35 back then. Davidson designed the Swoosh in 1971 while a graphic design student at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. [7], Needing to choose a logo in order to meet looming production deadlines, Knight settled on the Swoosh after rejecting four other designs by Davidson. All of the following are free for youth 18 and younger. I worked with local fabric store, Fabricate, to create a DIY Halloween costume. Dan Wieden is an American advertising executive who co-founded Wieden+Kennedy and coined the Nike tagline "Just Do It". Photos courtesy of Joe Friend Photography. Photographer Fazal Sheikh Discusses Common Ground. This page may contain affiliate links and advertising. The scoop on the local ice cream purveyor’s new Berkeley location. "[1] For her services, the company paid her $35, which, if adjusted for inflation for 2018, would be the value equivalent of about $217. 7 Fun Things to Do at the DAM with Kids this Summer.

Carolyn Davidson -- the complete book list in order (41 books) (3 series). One of those women is Carolyn Davidson, the woman who designed the iconic Nike Swoosh back when she was still a student at Portland State University. Carolyn Davidson is a graphic designer best known for designing the Nike Swoosh logo.. Career. The Top Chef contestant’s Colorado Springs restaurant is worth the drive. They asked Davidson to design a stripe (industry term for a shoe logo) that "had something to do with movement". 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 (estimated to be worth $1,000,000 as of 2015)[7] of Nike stock that has split into 32,000 shares as of 2016. Long before former Design Indaba Conference speaker Dan Wieden coined “Just Do It” for the brand, Davidson was approached by Nike’s co-founder Phil Knight to come up with an identity for the company.

"[1] Davidson went on to be known as "The Logo Lady". While her work was part of a defining moment in sports and pop culture, Davidson tells NPR, “I've pretty much stayed under the radar, and nobody knows who I am.”. When review time came, she presented 5 or 6 options, none of which had the executives completely sold. In 1976, the company hired its first external advertising agency, John Brown and Partners, and Davidson went on to work on other clients' needs. Carolyn Davidson Take a walk for 5 minutes anywhere and you will see Carolyn Davidson’s work all around you. Carolyn Davidson is a Denver freelance journalist based in Denver. Now widowed and pregnant, she wanted only to escape the memories. In … [1], In September 1983, nearly three years after the company went public, Knight invited Davidson to a company reception. Sign up to Design Indaba Weekly for the latest design news and inspiration. "Portland State Fearless | Carolyn Davidson: Fearless Icon-Maker", "Creator of Nike's famed Swoosh remembers its conception 40 years later", "Here's how much Nike's billionaire founder paid for its swoosh logo", "How a college student created one of sport's most iconic images", "The $35 Nike Logo and the Woman Who Designed It", "The 50 Most Iconic Brand Logos of All Time", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carolyn_Davidson&oldid=985313247, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 October 2020, at 07:02. There’s always plenty for kids and families to explore at the Denver Art Museum. Sign up to Design Indaba News for updates on Design Indaba events and projects. [9] Of the gift, Davidson says, "this was something rather special for Phil to do, because I originally billed him and he paid that invoice. Cinco de Mayo and the advent of patio season have us in a margarita-drinking state of mind—the sun will be back this afternoon, after all! Local brand, Be A Good Person, share their inspiration with our readers. She was born in 1943. She was a Portland State University student looking for extra cash to help pay for oil painting classes. Pirate-themed products in the DAM's design collection. We decided to take a look into graphic design to see which iconic women helped to get us here. The co-founder of Wieden+Kennedy says the secret of its success lies in its creative culture of chaos. "[2] She attained a bachelor's in graphic design in 1971. This online post explains some of the behind-the-scenes at The Denver Art Museum's newest exhibition, The Western: An Epic in Art and Film. This summer, if you visit the museum with children, here are some suggestions for fun exhibitions and activities. A Q&A with famed photographer Fazal Sheikh about his career, his photographs, and his newest exhibition at the DAM. Carolyn Davidson, who created the Nike ‘swoosh’ logo in 1971, did not think that the logo she designed would be as popular as it is today. Davidson became known as the “Logo Lady” and went on to spend the next five years with the company, sharing her logo love with other clients as a freelancer over the next 30 years. Over the next few years, Carolyn produced a few marketing brochures.

Meeting the Tech Challenges of The Western. [6] In 1995, Nike removed the word "Nike" from the logo; the Swoosh now stands alone as the brand's logo. At the time, he stated of the logo, "I don't love it, but it will grow on me. It was 1969, and Phil was ready to go full-time at Blue Ribbon. For Cherry Creek Lifestyle's "Trend Setter" spread, Oct. 2017. [3] 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. Knight offered Davidson a job in creating charts and graphs for his meetings with Japanese footwear executives. Knight offered her $2 an hour to produce some artwork. The job earned her $35 back then. [5] She gave him five different designs, one of which was the Swoosh[6] which resembles a wing and hints at Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. The brief was clear, albeit challenging to crack - the logo needed to convey a sense of fluidity and motion, without resembling any of the brand’s contemporaries back in 1971. Opening Alert: High Point Creamery Tennyson. She’d have liked to go back and refine some of them but fate had it that there were production deadlines to be met and so the checkmark was the winner. For the September issue of Boulder and Cherry Creek Lifestyle magazines, I helped to organize and conceptualize the photoshoot for our Fall Fashion spreads. Her name was Carolyn Davidson.

The retired graphic designer created the logo while she was still a student at Portland State University. Design Indaba®, Cape Town Design Week® and South African Design Week® are registered trademarks of Interactive Africa.

Davidson was approached by philanthropist Phil Knight one day in halls at Portland State University. Davidson worked on her ideas by drawing on a piece of tissue over a drawing of a shoe. Davidson started the process by sketching a range of options on tissue paper, which she’d then lay over a drawing of a shoe. Meet Academy Award Winning Director, Bryan Fogel, Road Trip Restaurant: Four by Brother Luck. Carolyn Davidson is a freelance journalist in Denver, CO. Davidson holds a degree in Journalism News-Editorial from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

(Left): The original logo designed by Davidson for Nike in 1971, for which she was paid $35. In order to know where you are going, even in design, it is always important to look back at all the people who helped get one's industry to where it is. This piece was the most read article on the Denver Art Museum's online blog for the summer. Phil Knight commented, “Well, I don’t love it, but it will grow on me.” Such is the authority of that mark that in 1995, the 'Nike' was dropped, and the Swoosh became the singular brand identifier.