49 METHOD
Nike’s Cinco de Mile race through downtown L.A. was founded in 2005 to increase awareness about youth fitness and raise money for the local Latino community. The successful event drew over 6000 runners its first year. San Francisco-based firm Method was employed to create a piece that encapsulated the event for future sponsors and the press.

The designers at Method knew the high energy of the race and vibrant, eclectic neighborhoods runners pass through would be best conveyed through photos. But with few professional photographs from the event, they had to rely on thousands of photos taken with point-and-shoot digital cameras by Nike employees. Designer Milena Sadee painstakingly color-corrected and manipulated the shots to create a cohesive, urban feel. “It took many … many … many hours to edit and retouch them to get the look I was going for,” she says. The other labor-intensive task—hand painting 150 books with the number 5—was a bit nerve-wracking. “The first couple of 5s my hand was shaking,” she admits. “But some of the sloppier ones actually looked the best.” by Alissa Walker