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Swoosh is the symbol of the athletic shoe and clothing manufacturer Nike. It is among the most easily recognized brand symbols in the world.

The Nike "Swoosh" is a design created in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student at Portland State University. She met Phil Knight while he was teaching accounting classes and she started doing some freelance work for his company, Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS).

BRS needed a new brand for a new line of athletic footwear it was preparing to introduce in 1972. Knight approached Davidson for design ideas, and she agreed to provide them, charging a rate of $2 per hour.

In June 1971, Davidson presented a number of design options to Knight and other BRS executives, and they ultimately selected the mark now known globally as the Swoosh. Davidson submitted a bill for $35 for her work. (In 1983, Knight gave Davidson a gold Swoosh ring and an envelope filled with Nike stock to express his gratitude.)

In June 1972, the first running shoes bearing the Swoosh were introduced at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. Nike continues to use the brand today.

Its wing-like shape has frequently led people to believe it is inspired by the wing in the famous statue of Nike, the winged goddess of victory. However, according to Nike's historian, the Swoosh was designed in June 1971, while the name Nike was not adopted by Blue Ribbon Sports until August of that same year.

Originally, the mark was simply referred to as "the stripe." Over time, it began to be called a "Swoosh," but there is no record of a specific date or occasion for its taking on that name. In the 1960s, a Blue Ribbon Sports brochure for Tiger footwear used the term "Swoosh" fibers to describe a shoe, so it is likely that the word was used in the Blue Ribbon Sports lexicon and later became attached to describe the brand.

It's also believed that "Swoosh" came from the sound of a moving athlete, likening it to a whip.

Some claim that the swoosh is actually representative of the wings on the feet of the Greek god Hermes, flipped upside down. Others have noted a number of classical depictions of Hermes in which the brim of the god's hat bears a strong resemblance to the logo.

In either case, it may be a symbolism of speed and grace.