Revered publisher Phaidon will soon be releasing a new book chronicling Nike's innovative design history. Titled Nike: Better Is Temporary, the work also serves to commemorate the company's global influence as the world's leading sportswear brand, ultimately offering readers a behind-the-scenes look into its internal design philosophy.
Nike: Better Is Temporary is authored by Sam Grawe; the writer grants exclusive access to Nike's world headquarters, incorporating insights from brand creatives and executives who delve into the company's ethos-driven design formula. Throughout the five-chapter publication, Grawe hones in on key elements that charged Nike's meteoric rise, including performance, brand expression, collaboration, inclusive design, and sustainability.
The book begins with an inside look at Nike's 2017 attempt to achieve the first-ever sub-two-hour marathon — a project that jumpstarted an entirely new approach to Nike design — before concluding with a section dedicated to sustainability, the company's most important goal regarding its present and future strategy.
”I fundamentally believe that the central thesis of Nike is, ‘The best is temporary at best,’" Nike’s Chief Design Officer, John Hoke, said of the book's title. "As soon as the record is made, we look for it to fall; we seek this ever-encroaching ‘What’s possible?’ We think we find the limit—and the limit is then broken. You think it’s unachievable— it’s achievable. Once you get these breakthroughs, there’s a pull to, ‘Okay, what else can you do?’ That’s as true in design and innovation as it is in athletics and sport.”
Spanning 320 pages, Nike: Better Is Temporary will be available in a hardback edition beginning January 25, 2021. However, select retailers — and phaidon.com — have early copies for sale this month, just in time for the holidays.
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