How did Michael Jordan get his logo? Michael Jordan’s Jumpman logo is one of the most recognized marks in the athletic footwear industry. But what is the full story behind the logo?

The Jumpman logo is owned by Nike to promote the Air Jordan brand of basketball sneakers and other sportswear. It is the silhouette of former Chicago Bulls NBA player and current Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan.

But why did he need a logo in the first place? There are hundreds of thousands of players in the world in different sports. Yet, only a handful few become legendary, and their names become idolized. MJ is definitely one of those if not the first who got to a whole new level. During his playing days, Jordan became a world of his own, a superstar on his own level, and a brand that he still is to this day.

Michael Jordan is one such athlete who has evolved from a basketball player into a brand celebrated worldwide. The adept athlete has inked his name in the history books, and his fame has earned him a unique emblem. Jumpman is the official name of his trademark.

Jumpman is one of the most iconic signatures globally, specifically in the athletic footwear industry. It represents the zeal, dream, and achievements of Michael Jordan. In truth, the logo depicts an abstract image of the athlete in a unique jump.

With legs spread apart and the ball in the left hand in flight, the emblem captures Jordan in a position of dunking the ball in the basketball ring. Today, you can see the Jumpman logo on all branded products.

But let’s see how Michael Jordan actually got his logo?

Jordan’s iconic Jumpman logo came through his partnership with Nike. The brand design team looked at a lot of imagery surrounding Jordan, including a photoshoot he did with Life Magazine before the 1984 Olympics.

This photo served as the inspiration for what would become the globally recognized Jumpman logo. The Nike team, led by designer Peter Moore, recreated a photo in an attempt to avoid any future copyright issues while still maintaining the essence of the pose that they believed would become iconic.

The actual logo was drawn in early 1988, by an artist named Tinker Hatfield, who had been commissioned to create the logo from Peter Moore’s newly taken photo (shown below). The first Jordan shoe to carry the logo was the Air Jordan III which was released later in 1988.

The Air Jordan III was the first Jordan shoe to have the Jumpman logo trademark. It replaced the original wing logo on Air Jordan I and II. Everyone, including Jordan, was impressed with the iconic designs, both the shoes and the logo.

The Air Jordan 3 was revolutionary like many of Tinker’s designs. It was the first mid-cut basketball shoe, it was the first to incorporate a lifestyle texture of elephant print, it was the first to feature Nike’s Air cushioning in a visible manner, and most notably, the first Air Jordan to feature the Jumpman logo which was placed on the tongue.

After more than 30 years of Air Jordan shoes since the MJ 3 and nearly two decades of Jordan Brand as a separate brand within Nike, the Jumpman silhouette remains and continues to grow in its iconic status.

Nike has had several partnership deals with elite athletes across the world. From basketball to tennis, you’ll find Nike’s endorsements with top athletes. Carl Lewis, Ronaldinho, and Tiger Woods are some examples. Others are Neymar Junior, James LeBron, Luka Doncic and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Why did Michael Jordan’s Logo work?

It’s a reality that the first impression counts. Michael Jordan’s logo exudes love at first sight. Mr. Tinker and his team of designers went the extra mile to make the trademark effective. Now, let’s look at the factors that made the Jumpman so iconic and timeless:

The logo is simple, there are no intricate graphic elements aside from the player in flight. It’s so clean that even a child can identify it without second-guessing it. This is a powerful feature that separates the world’s top logo designs from the rest. The Jumpman logo, with its modest persona, is attractive.

The logo design is consistent. The more brands expose you to a specific ad over time, the more it sticks with you. That’s a fact about advertising. The trademark, since it came into force about three decades ago, has changed little.  It has remained consistent with its message and earned the loyalty of its cherished fans.

The logo design is versatile. Well–crafted logos are malleable. It means they can take different forms without deviating from their primary objectives. The Jumpman logo can take on any color and remain highly recognizable. It can also scale on all marketing mediums to connect with fans.

The logo design is memorable. The minimalist look of the Jordan emblem makes it hard to forget.  Whether it appears in red, white, or black, the millions of people who see the Jumpman can’t miss it. The stylized posture of the abstract image stands out from the noise, making it timeless.

A winning personality attracts people effortlessly and that is exactly the case with this one. Yes, people in every aspect of life want to associate with winners. You’ll find this in business, sports, music, politics, and almost every industry. Michael Jordan, with his style of play, was a winner with infectious charisma. This has also contributed immensely to the success of the Jordan logo and its range of products.

Graphic Elements of Michael Jordan’s logo

Can a graphic artist design a trademark without the elements of design? The answer is a resounding no! Visual elements are the soul of every creative work in existence. So, their absence means the end of all objects.

So, Mr. Tinker focused on some vital elements when crafting the trademark for Michael Jordan. He used the abstract image of Michael Jordan in an iconic position, a color palette, and no typography.

The famous Michael Jordan Jumpman logo symbol has a rounded object. In reality, the circle represents a basket. It’s the official leather object used for such contests. You can also relate the rounded shape to the rim that basketball players aimed to score. A circular object also captures a sense of unity and community. We can connect it to spectators, players, and managers of the game.

The iconic Jordan logo had its nickname, Jumpman, from the pose of the jumping man. It’s the most captivating design element in the emblems. Clearly, it shows Michael Jordan as a player in action. The stylized posture has appeared twice. The first one featured him in a US Olympic outfit before the 1984 Olympic Games. And in 1985, he posed for a similar shot in a Chicago Bulls outfit and Nike Sneakers.

The two stretched legs offered a balance to the man in flight. When they turn upside down, they mimic the letter—V. As the 22nd letter of the English alphabet, it’s symbolic of the career advancement of Michael Jordan. As a player, Jordan displayed many traits related to the letter—V. He was valuable, versatile, and always aimed for victory. He was also a visionary athlete who exercises vigilance and vigor.

Fonts are a significant part of branding. They spell out the personality of the brand to stakeholders. But the Jumpman’s logo comes with no lettering. Well, it’s among the few iconic symbols that have bent the rules in their favor. Perhaps the designer excluded the name because he believed the athlete had a unique personality. This charismatic vibe followed the trademark.

Overseas copyright battle

There are a lot of companies that want to profit off of the success of the Jordan brand. They do that by creating a rendition of the logo that may have a slight adjustment.

The Chinese company Qiaodan (meaning “Jordan” in Chinese) Sports was one of them. Founded in 2000, Qiaodan Sports soon registered several kinds of trademarks that related to Jordan, including the current name of the company with Chinese characters and pinyin along with the logo of a silhouetted basketball player.

Taking advantage of the fact that international trademarks are not protected if they are not registered in mainland China due to the first-to-file policy, Qiaodan Sports had been exceptionally fruitful in the Chinese market utilizing the fame of Michael Jordan.

In 2012 Jordan sued Qiaodan Sports for using the Jumpman logo to sell their products and even selling the shoes under his name because the name of the company in Mandarin is Jordan. This misled customers to believe that they were buying products from Jordan himself, but in all reality, it wasn’t his shoe. Jordan would lose the legal battle because “the image of the disputed trademark is a human body in a shadowy design, which does not clearly reflect the major appearances of the figure. It is hard for the relevant public to recognize the image as Michael Jordan.”

In July 2017, Qiaodan Sports filed a lawsuit against Michael Jordan for infringement of reputation and demanded 1.1 million yuan (US$162,500) in compensation. In the filing, Qiaodan claimed that Jordan had “maliciously” initiated 78 trademarks disputes over a number of years but had only managed to win three of them.

In April 2020, after eight years of Chinese trademark battle, Jordan finally prevailed over Qiaodan Sports at the China People’s Supreme Court, resulting in the revocation of 74 trademarks for Qiaodan Sports.

The People’s Supreme Court explained that “natural persons have the right to their name in accordance with the law. Unauthorized registration of a name as a trademark may easily mislead the relevant public into believing that the goods or services marked with the trademark have a specific endorsement, permission, etc. This violates the provisions of Article 31 of the Trademark Law.

Jordan also claimed for portrait right against Qiaodan Sports’ logo. However, prosecutors claimed that “the Qiaodan’s logo did not violate Jordan’s portraiture rights as it does not include distinguishable facial features.

Even after this case, the Jordan brand continues to battle cases with other companies copying the Jordan Jumpman logo. Jordan was only able to win a partial part of the lawsuit.

What Is The Jordan Brand Worth Today?

The numbers are ever-changing for the Jordan brand nowadays, but after the Last Dance documentary was released, numbers started to come out regarding their worth.

It was reported that Jordan signed onto Nike for approximately $500,000 a year back then.

Nowadays, he is making about $100 to $120 million each year just from royalties in the company. As for his overall brand selling shoes, he allegedly earns $130 million a year.

The Jordan Brand itself has reportedly paid him about $1.3 billion in total. This isn’t all that surprising considering how expensive some of his original shoes are selling today. Sneakerheads will do anything to capture a pair of these legendary old-school shoes. Some websites have those original pairs listed for as much as $2 million for just one. Yes, they are that expensive and popular among collectors. Funnily enough, Jordan didn’t even want to begin making his brand with Nike back when it all started.

MJ originally was going to sign with Adidas. We got to see the full story in the Last Dance documentary, but he revealed that his mother forced him to travel and listen to the deal that Nike was putting on the table. While he was very against it at the time, he ultimately went and received a huge pitch from him and his father.

Nike not only offered that $500K a year, but they also gave him the opportunity to get a signature shoe which Adidas didn’t want to offer yet. His father told him that he’d be a fool if he chose to decline the offer. Now, look at the money he is making from this logo and brand. The Jordan logo has gone down as one of the greatest logos in the history of shoe branding.