Wieden+Kennedy commissions local creatives for Berlin-based Nike campaign

Berlin-based Studio Yukiko, the graphic design partnership of Michelle Phillips and Johannes Conrad, has been commissioned by Wieden+Kennedy London for Nike’s running campaign in the German city titled, Lauf Nicht, Renn, translating as Don’t Run, Race.

Commissioned for their ability “to bring a strong and local tone of voice,” to the campaign, Studio Yukiko “were tasked with hand-picking a team of local creative talent; partnering with illustrators Benedikt Rugar and Celestin Krier was an exciting choice for the team given their unique style,” says Wieden+Kennedy.

As a result, the campaign displays an alternative graphic language for Nike which will evolve throughout Berlin over four weeks, including a bespoke logo lock-up designed by the studio and type designer, Johannes Breyer. The unique collaboration between Wieden+Kennedy London designers Chris Gray, Tobias Bschorr and Ryan Teixeira and local Berlin creatives means the assets created are extensive, lending themselves to a multi-channel campaign including store front takeovers and numerous posters. All of the work is bound together with the use of a custom typeface, Asfalt, by Dinamo Foundry “which also provides the bridge between the print and the digital world”. The typeface is inspired by informational signpost writing found in various city’s on tarmac, “adding another raw and fun conceptual layer to the campaign”.

On the finished campaign’s design language, Wieden+Kennedy’s creative producer in London Rose Fairley says: “Collaborating with Yukiko was an important milestone in the development of the campaign. We knew it was crucial to find the right partner to represent the uniqueness of Berlin and its creative scene in an authentic and progressive way.”