Nike: Better Is Temporary

At Nike, the desire to be the best is a journey, not a destination—the best is always temporary. Phaidon commemorates the company’s influence with Nike: Better is Temporary, a landmark publication that charts Nike’s transformation from a rebellious upstart to a global phenomenon. This immersive visual survey offers an unprecedented behind-the-scenes exploration of Nike’s ethics-driven design formula, placing industry-defining innovations and globally recognized products alongside previously unseen designs, prototypes, inside stories, and more. Beginning with “Breaking2,” an introduction detailing Nike’s 2017 attempt to facilitate a sub-two-hour marathon, the book presents 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 content. The eye-catching cover features overlapping screen-printed layers of Nike’s proprietary Volt Yellow and Hyperpunch Pink colors overlaying an image of marathon world champion Eliud Kipchoge printed in a half-tone dot pattern. The book’s spine, visible through the clear cover, features a series of colored tabs extending from its interior pages and referenced in the book’s bonus chapter, “Crafting Color.” Featuring a combination of 500 full-color illustrations and the stories, insights, knowledge, passion and history shared by Nike’s remarkable team, Nike: Better is Temporary will serve as a playbook of innovation and inspiration for generations to come.