A New Beginning

In 2013, after 25 years of Nike ownership, Cole Haan was independent again. That Spring, I worked closely with a team of fellow creatives and Cole Haan’s Creative Director to craft an identity that blended tradition and modernity. Our goal was to create an identity that appeared timeless in the truest sense of the word—something that felt familiar, even though it was a complete departure from its former identity. To be truly functional in the fashion industry, a logo and accompanying monogram need to be legible at incredibly small sizes—whether debossed in leather, embroidered on a label or as cast metal—and very large sizes like billboards and posters. Further, like any good identity, it complements and elevates the product both now and in the future. After four months of working in house, we rolled this out gradually over the course of six months.