Nike's rise to global prominence through iconic ads and star athletes is the focus of “Just Frame It,” a new exhibition at Poster House in Manhattan.

“We’re really thinking about how these Nike sports stars become outer-worldly and how they become larger than life,” said Es-pranza Humphrey, assistant curator of collections at Poster House. 

The exhibit traces the company’s history, starting with its early campaigns like “There is No Finish Line” and leading to the universally recognized “Just Do It” slogan. It also celebrates the athletes who propelled Nike into the spotlight, beginning with runner Steve Prefontaine, Nike’s first major signing. Basketball legends like George Gervin, known as “The Iceman,” soon followed.

NBA superstar Michael Jordan brought the sneaker company into a whole new universe with Air Jordans and the accompanying ads.

“At first it’s not supposed to be this huge deal, but it evolves into something a lot larger and I think that today we see the sneaker and we immediately think Nike but even bigger than that we know that Michael Jordan has a huge impact on the brand,” Humphrey said.

”Just Frame It” is currently one of five exhibitions on display at Poster House, which is the first and only museum in the United States dedicated to the art and history of posters.

So, what qualifies as a poster? According to Poster House, it’s a medium designed to inspire action — whether to vote, buy, or attend an event — through the combination of images and text.

“It is something that is meant to get you to act in some way, vote, buy, attend an event, and it marries words and images so there has to be an image and text combined,” said executive director and chief curator Angelina Lippert.

“Just Frame It” runs through Feb. 23, the items on loan from collector Bruce “ImaPaqRat” Fisher. 

For more information, visit Poster House's website.