Nike: Form Follows Motion is the catalogue accompanying the first museum exhibition dedicated to Nike, charting six decades of sport design from the company's origins and the Swoosh to Air Max, Air Jordan, and the biomechanical research shaping its future.
About This Book
Produced by the Vitra Design Museum to accompany its landmark 2024 exhibition, this volume draws on the Nike Archives — a collection opened to a museum for the first time — to trace the design logic that has shaped one of the most culturally significant brands in the world. The book examines Nike's design process as a discipline: beginning with scientific analysis of the human body in motion, moving through material research and prototyping, and culminating in finished product and global branding. Archival drawings, prototypes, historical documents, and collaborative works with designers including Virgil Abloh and Marc Newson sit alongside the contributions of key Nike designers such as Tinker Hatfield, Bill Bowerman, Diane Katz, and Eric Avar. For those interested in industrial design, sportswear history, and the intersection of performance and popular culture, this is the definitive reference.
Key Features
- 352 pages of archival drawings, prototype photography, historical documents, and design process documentation
- Edited by Mateo Kries, Glenn Adamson, and Marcella Hanika
- Draws on the Department of Nike Archives — the most comprehensive public access ever granted to the collection
- Features works and collaborations with Virgil Abloh, Marc Newson, Tinker Hatfield, Bill Bowerman, Diane Katz, and Eric Avar
- Published by Vitra Design Museum, 2024
What You'll Discover
- How Nike's design process is grounded in biomechanical research — the study of the human body in motion precedes every material and form decision
- The evolution of iconic products including Air Max, Air Jordan, and Vapor Fly, traced through original design drawings and prototypes from the archive
- The role athletes — from elite competitors to everyday users — have played as active participants in Nike's design development
- How collaborations with figures from architecture and fashion, including Virgil Abloh and Marc Newson, have expanded Nike's design language beyond sport
About the Author
The catalogue is edited by Mateo Kries, Glenn Adamson, and Marcella Hanika. The volume was produced in conjunction with the Vitra Design Museum's 2024 exhibition — the first museum exhibition ever devoted to Nike.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 352
- Dimensions: 22 × 30 cm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9783945852644
- Publisher: Vitra Design Museum
- Publication Date: 2024
Perfect For: Industrial and product designers, sportswear historians, design students, cultural theorists, and anyone with a serious interest in how performance, material research, and branding converge in contemporary design practice.