# Why the swoosh in logo's

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-swoosh-in-logos/48583>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 5, 2001, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-swoosh-in-logos/48583 "2001-01-05T15:49:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![NaughtyMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@NaughtyMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NaughtyMe)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-swoosh-in-logos/48583/1 "2001-01-05T15:49:08Z")

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I have noticed recently that a lot of companies (especially here in UK) are going for a swoosh (a la Nike) in they’re logo in the pretence that this make them look more modern in the workplace? Where has this fallacy come from?  
These logo’s could be cooked up by 2 year olds with a crayon, and here are these companies spending thousands of (insert currency) on going to consultancy firms…ohhh the maddness!! On second thoughts is this a rhetorical thread?

oh well…respond if you want 😛

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-swoosh-in-logos/48583/2 "2001-01-05T16:04:14Z")

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You mean like [these](http://homepages.go.com/~lekowicz/library/logohell.html)?

I don’t know who invented the sweep (as it’s properly called) as part of a logo, but I think Nike is definitely the guilty party in making it _sine qua non_ so far as logos are concerned.

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**Author:** ![NaughtyMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@NaughtyMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NaughtyMe)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-swoosh-in-logos/48583/3 "2001-01-05T16:39:47Z")

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You are a star \*

Just a little secret from me to you - my company recently changed it’s “boring” logo to incorporate a swish insisting it was the best logo for us.

Very good. Thanks.

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-swoosh-in-logos/48583/4 "2001-01-05T16:45:03Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> . . . my company recently changed it’s “boring” logo to incorporate a swish insisting it was the best logo for us.

As did mine.

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**Author:** ![egkelly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/db5fbb/32.png) [@egkelly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/egkelly)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-swoosh-in-logos/48583/5 "2001-01-05T17:14:19Z")

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Did the “SPEEDO” company have the first “swoosh” logo? They all look similar to me!

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-swoosh-in-logos/48583/6 "2001-01-05T18:53:25Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by NaughtyMe \*  
> … going for a swoosh (a la Nike) …
> 
> These logo’s could be cooked up by 2 year olds with a crayon, and here are these companies spending thousands of (insert currency) on going to consultancy firms…

Ironically, Nike paid an art student $35 to design their logo.

> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by egkelly_  
> Did the “SPEEDO” company have the first “swoosh” logo? They all look similar to me!

Speedo’s is too angular to be a proper swoosh.

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**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2001, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-swoosh-in-logos/48583/7 "2001-01-05T19:21:46Z")

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Don’t forget NASA. They changed back to the original [‘meatball and wishbone’ logo](http://www.nasa.gov) (early 90s) after using the ‘worm’ logo since the 70s.

My question is not the swooshes, but the ‘tilt’. Why have Burger King, Pizza Hut and other major corporations now redesigned their logos so that the words are on an upward slant?