$35 for the most famous pictorial logo?

In 1971, then design student Carolyn Davidson famously designed the Nike Swoosh. Perhaps infamously, she was paid only $35 for the design. Even adjusting for inflation, that's only about $220 in 2018 dollars. No one knew at the time that the swoosh was to become arguably the most famous logo of the 20th century.

A logo doesn’t have to always be comprised of letters. In fact, the most successful logos tend not have any lettering at all. The Nike Swoosh is a perfect example.

A couple examples of critically acclaimed logos are Target and Nike, neither of which need any letters to refer to their brand.

As I mentioned in last week's article, lettermarks and monograms are comprised of the initials of whatever they represent, where a pictorial logo simply symbolizes something, and may or may not use alphabetic characters. Some are abstract, like the swoosh, which is representative of the Greek goddess Nike. Other logos are based on a tangible object, like a target, a shell, or Lacoste's alligator. 

And hey, don't worry about Davidson. Although she only made a student wage creating the original Nike logo, she got a call from the company a few years later to come visit the office. She was gifted 500 shares of Nike stock, a diamond ring bearing the famous Swoosh in gold, and "so many referrals!" according to Davidson herself.

At the time of writing, the going rate of about $94 per share, meaning Davidson's stock is worth $47000. Not bad for a 50-year-old design!

What kind of logos do you prefer? How would you feel about an alligator representing your clothing company? A seashell to represent your gas station chain? Whatever your preference, Michael at Mike Up North can create a brand that helps you accomplish your business dreams. Contact me, and let's have a no-obligation coffee meeting! [email protected].