Nike365 - 耐克365
Nike's first Chinese typographic identity.
Overview
An 8503 Character Chinese expression of the brand designed to standout through both a ultra heavy weight and condensed typeset - 2 uncommon and difficult to implement features for the visually complex Chinese language. These features are inspired by our English brand typeface, Futura Condensed ExtraBold, and now designed to pair together gracefully at scale, forever.
Since the 1980's this Futura weight has been an iconic pillar of the brand. In 2022 we aim to start that journey again for 1.5 Billion Chinese reading Athletes*
D&AD 2022 Winner in Typography
https://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2022/235421/monotype-nike-china/
The Problem
Since it’s China debut in 1981, Nike has had no unified Chinese brand font, making it unable to communicate the brand in China consistently through typography (like almost every other brand in China).
Why? A singular stock Chinese font has never proved right for Nike, while creating a new Chinese font is a formidable multi-year challenge.
Without a unified headline font, Nike misses half of what makes its words iconic, their shape. Every campaign, every billboard, every digital product becomes another missed opportunity to build brand equity through one Nike Chinese typographic identify.
Solution (Internal Pitch)
In 1988 Nike introduced it’s English brand typeface, an off-the-shelf Futura ExtraBold Condensed. It is now an iconic pillar of the brand, instantly recognisable as Nike somewhere deep in your brain.
The Chinese language consists of 1000s of characters to the English 26. There is no off-the-shelf solution.
Let’s create the world’s first truly* branded original Chinese typeface, that can be used across all channels consistently, until it becomes instantly recognisable as Nike somewhere deep in your brain.
*Tencent and Alibaba have created typefaces, but these are system fonts first, brand fonts second.
Results
Today
Nike Greater China has created the worlds first truly branded Chinese typographic identity. It is now a standard used across channels (see below), and a key pillar in its overall strategic objective of making Nike feel even more of a brand for China by China.
Nike Greater China has created the worlds first truly branded Chinese typographic identity. It is now a standard used across channels (see below), and a key pillar in its overall strategic objective of making Nike feel even more of a brand for China by China.
Tomorrow
The font now lives across more Products, Advertising, Apparel, PR Releases, Stores, Events, Apps, Social, Billboards and Celebrity Collabs than can be tracked. It is on it’s way to one day becoming and iconic piece of Nike’s identity in Greater China.
The font now lives across more Products, Advertising, Apparel, PR Releases, Stores, Events, Apps, Social, Billboards and Celebrity Collabs than can be tracked. It is on it’s way to one day becoming and iconic piece of Nike’s identity in Greater China.
Roles: Idea, Pitch, Strategic Leadership, Creative Direction
Production: Nike Digital Design Greater China & Monotype
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