With 50 years now securely tucked under its belt, Nike has distilled the tenets of its design vision into a new book, After All, There Is No Finish Line, a title that poetically riffs on one of its early straplines from 1977. The red paperback, about the size of any ubiquitous novel, is conceived as an inspirational handbook for the next generation of athletes and creative thinkers and designed to be well-thumbed. Filled with eye-catching black-and-white imagery and a selection of speculative fiction and essays intended to provoke multi-layered conversations about how design and innovation will determine the course of the next 50 years, this future-focused compilation invites everyone to imagine the infinite possibilities of design and sport.
In the book’s foreword, Nike’s chief design officer John Hoke writes, ‘It’s been said that the best way to predict the future is to create it. At Nike, we wholeheartedly agree. For over 50 years, we’ve endeavoured to create a better future for athletes. This compels us forward, always. When we say, ‘There is no finish line,’ it’s not a lazy reference to an unending grind or destination-less journey, but rather an expression of our belief in the limitless potential of sport – and design.’
Designed by Zak Group with custom illustrations by Bráulio Amado and synthesised imagery by PWR, the book fluidly combines text, collages of found imagery and graphics in a rich, visual manner. Sam Grawe, the author of Nike: Better is Temporary, has contributed five essays outlining the major shifts that design may undergo in the coming decades. To do so, Grawe interviewed over a dozen of Nike’s designers, scientists, engineers, researchers and leaders, thus providing readers with a rare, comprehensive peek into the multifaceted hive brain that drives Nike. As a result, the book inadvertently charts the company’s modus operandi, works in progress and hypotheses on its trajectory – encompassing the data-driven goings-on at the Lebron James Innovation Centre, the 750,000 sq ft innovation hub designed by Olson Kundig, and its boundary-pushing goals on the sustainability and materials front.
In another excerpt of Hoke’s foreword, he writes, ‘Nike’s creative telescope to the future rests on three steadfast and guiding truths: we exist to match our athletes’ dreams and ambitions; the progression of sport requires audacious imagination; and one innovation can ultimately benefit millions. With these truths in sight, we remain fixed on amplifying athletic ability, advancing human potential and inviting everyone - and importantly, every body, to experience sport for themselves.’
‘No Finish Line’ is published by Actual Source and retails for $26. It will be available from 14 February 2023
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