OUGD505 - Studio Brief 1: Nike Air Jordan Research

Overall there are 28 pairs in the range of Air Jordan sneakers.

• Air Jordan I - XXI (1 - 21)
• XX2 (22)
• XX3 (23)
• 2009 - 2012 (24 - 27)
• XX8 (28)

The first pair of Air Jordan's were released in 1984, and after a three year gap the Air Jordan II were introduced. Since then Nike has released a pair of Air Jordan's every year.

Air Jordan I - 1984
In 1984, after winning a national title at the University of North Carolina and a Gold Medal at the Olympic games in Los Angeles, Michael Jordan was selected 3rd overall by the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Draft. That year Nike also signed Michael to a five-year endorsement contract worth a reported $2.5 million (plus royalties). In 1985, Nike gave Jordan and his signature line of sneakers and apparel a unique logo - clearly, this line was created to be very different from Nike's previous basketball efforts.
Designer Peter Moore was given the task of coming up with the first Air Jordan shoe. The Air Jordan 1 featured the Nike Swoosh on the mid panel and a newly designed wings logo on the upper ankle. The first Air Jordan was similar in design to other popular Nike models released in the 1980s such as the Air Force 1, Terminator and Dunk. The Air Jordan I featured a Nike Air unit for heel cushioning, padded foam ankle collars for additional protection and a toe overlay for added lockdown.

Original Air Jordan's

Although the AJ 1 lacked technology, the colors and cultural significance set the sneaker industry on its ear. The Air Jordan 1 paved the way for colourful basketball sneakers. It transformed the way people looked at athletic shoes. 
During the 1985 NBA season, Michael wore the Air Jordan 1, which retailed for $65 - at the time, the most expensive basketball shoe on the market. The Black/Red colour was banned by the NBA because of rules regarding shoe colours. The rules state that a sneaker must have white. Jordan was fined $5,000 for every game he wore them. Nike footed the bill because it was making such a buzz around the sneakers and getting them a lot of attention. Eventually though, they made an alternative design featuring white.

Alternative Air Jordan's

The Air Jordan I is the only sneaker in the range to feature the Nike swoosh. It also included the original Air Jordan logo.

Original Air Jordan Logo

This Logo has only appeared on this sneaker and the Air Jordan II. It was replaced with the 'Jumpman' logo from the Air Jordan III onwards. It is still used on the sneaker boxes for the Air Jordan range though.

The 'Jumpman' Logo

Jumpman Logo

The Jumpman logo is actually a silhouette of studio photograph of Mike performing a ballet move, not an actual dunk as the image suggests.

Here’s part of an interview with HOOP Magazine from April of 1997 where MJ talks about the creation of the Jumpman Logo. 
I wasn’t even dunking on that one. People think that I was. I just stood on the floor, jumped up and spread my legs and they took the picture. I wasn’t even running. Everyone thought I did that by running and taking off. Actually, it was a ballet move where I jumped up and spread my legs. And I was holding the ball in my left hand.” 
The original idea for the photo shoot of the Jumpman came from an older photo of Jordan in LIFE Magazine for the 1984 Olympics. 

Nike “sampled” the idea for a poster featuring Mike suspended in air for what would later become the now famous Jumpman logo.

This photo was first featured on the hang tags of all the original Air Jordan I’s from 1985.

But the actual Jumpman logo didn’t join the mix for another 3 years. Jordan's contract with Nike was about to end and Rob Strasser, Nike’s VP was in a power struggle with Nike CEO Phil Knight. Rob and Peter Moore, Nike’s head designer, were working a plan for their new sneaker company called Van Grack. 

Peter Moore originally did the preliminary design work on the Air Jordan III. He had a pile of sketches of the Air Jordan III but waited until it was too late to execute. When he left Nike, Tinker Hatfield got the sketches and in amongst it were the outline of the Air Jordan 'Jumpman' logo.

XX8 - 2013

The latest installment in the legendary Jordan Brand lineup, designed by Tinker Hatfield and released in February 2013, featured all the cushioning and stability technologies one might expect from Jordan's flagship model. But it all lived behind a shroud, enabling the wearer to decide just how much to reveal.
Several AJs, from the AJ XVI on, featured a shroud or a lace cover of some type. The sock-like shroud of the AJ XX8, comprised of a high-end material from Schoeller textiles in Switzerland, featured a zipper front that folded down neatly to reveal a "2" on the medial (outside) of one shoe and a "3" on the medial of the other (denoting Michael Jordan's iconic jersey number). It offers a blank slate that Jordan Brand has promised to use for a variety of eye-catching colorways during the shoe's life cycle.
The AJ XX8 featured a number of technologies: Zoom Air unit for low-profile cushioning, all-new Jordan Flight Plate, dynamic Fit straps for flexible support, carbon fiber heel counter for support, mesh upper for flexibility and ventilation. The new Jordan Flight Plate that debuted in the midsole of the AJ XX8 was about two years in development. It consisted of a moderator plate, the Zoom Air unit, and rubber.
Designers started with a Nike Shox plate, added air bags, and knew they were getting close. It evolved to consist of a carbon fiber plate designed to deflect force and maximize the Zoom Air and its low-profile responsiveness. This enabled the separation of the forefoot and heel for the first time in the Air Jordan lineage.
For added stability, the AJ XX8 included a molded, carbon-fiber external heel counter that served as a natural extension of the Flight Plate.

Sources
http://www.footlocker.com/_-_/keyword-history+of+air+jordan
http://donisdope.wordpress.com/2010/12/23/logo-design-the-jumpman/