Nike Showroom

NIKE presented us with a unique challenge for their Toronto Showroom: help create an environment that showcases a strong brand expression while being flexible enough to accommodate constantly evolving collections and product stories tailored to specific audiences.

The answer lies in a multi-level approach that trades in-your-face application of colour and bold imagery for what initially appears to be quieter expressions that unfold to reveal greater depth and moments of discovery.

The showroom story is grounded in authenticity. A high-contrast neutral palette features pops of NIKE brand colours. Rough and raw structures live in close proximity to refined materials and finishes. Lightly-sanded concrete columns sit atop high-gloss polished concrete. An eye-level datum line divides the space and leads visitors into the athlete stories within. Oversized varsity numerals, custom-cut for the space and drawn from the lives of prominent NIKE athletes such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, splash across windows, wrap around door frames and envelope existing structures. Wall treatments that appear to be subtle athlete portraits from a distance reveal upon closer inspection, a matrix of tens of thousands of NIKE sub-brand logos that inform a history of success now measured in decades.

The execution acknowledges the success of NIKE’s hundreds of individual sub-brands and the cultural impact of its spokespeople, and in doing so, illuminates the environment in a manner that reveals its purpose.