Nike produced half a billion pieces of packaging annually across its global Apparel and Equipment business. The company set out to reassess the overall strategy, reduce its environmental footprint and create a unified packaging and on-garment labelling system spanning all Nike brands, technologies and sixteen licensees.

As part of the team at Tolleson, I worked on this global rebrand over four years, with a focus on packaging systems design and photographic art direction. The resulting system is the one consumers encounter on shelves—and likely in their own closets—today.

As new products and technologies were introduced, I helped translate their individual requirements into a coherent and adaptable brand system. My role extended from packaging design through to the planning and direction of global photography, including shoot strategy, shot-list development, casting, poses, wardrobe, production scheduling and on-set direction.

The challenge was to create a system with enough consistency to strengthen recognition, while retaining the flexibility to respond to different products, categories and markets. Its continued global use demonstrates its ability to evolve with the needs of the brand without losing coherence.

The work increased investment efficiency by 59% by simplifying brand foundations and reducing complexity across the Performance and Sportswear portfolios. It also strengthened consumer recognition across physical and digital touchpoints through the introduction of unified creative palettes for the first time.

The project’s success helped initiate a wider visual brand refresh across Nike’s digital ecosystem, including Nike.com, Nike Training Club, Nike Run Club, SNKRS and email.