Nike: Better is Temporary

by Sam Grawe

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

An amazing behind-the-scenes look at the shoe brand that turned into a global force. With their use of celebrities and athletes to showcase their sneakers, Nike set a new standard in marketing and market presence. However, their creativity truly begins in the lab where innovation is valued along with the materials and craftsmanship found nowhere else. A visual peek into the process, these never-before-seen photos of production and output are breathtaking to behold. A book for Nike fans, a work of art for all.

At Nike, the desire to be the best is a journey, not a destination – better is always temporary.

Phaidon commemorates the company's influence with Nike: Better is Temporary, a landmark publication that charts Nike's transformation from rebellious upstart to global phenomenon.

This immersive visual survey offers an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes exploration into Nike's ethos-driven design formula, placing industry-defining innovations and globally recognized products alongside previously unpublished designs, prototypes, insider stories, and more.

Beginning with "Breaking2," an introduction detailing Nike's 2017 attempt to facilitate a sub-two-hour marathon, the book lays out in five thematic chapters Nike's focus on performance, brand expression, collaboration, inclusive design, and sustainability.

The book's extraordinary design also nods to its contents. The striking cover features overlapping silkscreened layers of Nike's proprietary Volt yellow and Hyperpunch pink colors overlaying an image of world-champion marathoner Eliud Kipchoge printed in a half-tone dot pattern. The book's spine, visible through the clear jacket, showcases a series of colored tabs that extend from its interior pages and which are referenced in the book's bonus chapter, "Crafting Color."

Combining 500 color illustrations with stories, insights, knowledge, passion, and history shared by Nike's remarkable team, Nike: Better is Temporary will serve as a manual of innovation and inspiration for generations to come.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781838660512
Publisher:	Phaidon Press
Publication date:	12/18/2020
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	195,613
Product dimensions:	12.50(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Sam Grawe is a writer, editor, creative director, and brand consultant based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was previously global brand director for Herman Miller, where he lead integrated brand marketing and communications across a variety of platforms and media. Prior to this, he served as editor-in-chief of Dwell magazine.

Editorial Reviews

'An anthological landmark publication that offers a behind-the-scenes insight into the internal design philosophy of Nike.' – HYPEBEAST

'The book takes a deep dive into the approach Nike takes when it came to creating its industry-defining products, along with showcasing previously-unseen designs, prototypes, insider stories, and more.' – Footwear News

'An unprecedented look behind the scenes.' – Design Week

'[Nike] demonstrates the core role that marketing and storytelling play at the sportswear brand.' – Creative Review

'The ultimate coffee-table book for the hypebeast you know and love.' – Glamour

From the Publisher

12/01/2021

In its relentless drive to problem-solve, push innovation, and enhance athletic performance, there's no question that Nike is at the top of its game. That drive, as exemplified by the story of Breaking2, the company's attempt at setting a marathon record under two hours, opens the book. Every aspect of the performance of a group of elite athletes was examined, evaluated, and tested repeatedly, with the goal of designing footwear and apparel for maximum performance. That same research-driven, single-minded focus is evident in subsequent chapters; these cover Nike's collaborations, technological advances, marketing campaigns, and advances in adaptive wear and sustainability, revealing an uncompromising ethos. Hundreds of pages of sketches, prototypes, and photos of products (all labeled and often accompanied by extensive captions) illustrate this handsomely designed history. VERDICT While often self-congratulatory in tone, the book offers an intriguing glimpse into an innovative company that, despite rocky beginnings and labor practices that are under fire, has seen exponential growth and profits.

Library Journal