John Hoke on Technology as a Co-Conspirator in Creativity

John Hoke, Nike’s chief design officer, intimately understands how to move design from an object to a feeling. At the company over the past three decades, he has refined his approach to center around creating designs that serve wearers in practical yet unexpected ways, and that often redefine what sportswear can look like and do. Hoke often tells his team that “the goal is goosebumps”—to develop ideas so great that they can be physically felt. 

Hoke’s role in Nike’s legacy of innovation runs deep. He joined the Beaverton, Oregon–based company in 1992, at age 28, after studying architecture at the University of Pennsylvania and working as a model-maker for the late architect Michael Graves. Hoke, who is dyslexic, considers drawing his first language, his way of articulating the reactions he has to the things he sees. Connecting images with emotions is his portal to new ideas, which he has realized across many forward-thinking projects, ranging from singlets made from recycled polyester and water bottles, produced for the 2000 Summer Olympics; to Space Hippie, a footwear collection inspired by life on Mars; to the 2020 Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT%, a shoe with a carbon-fiber plate that literally propels wearers forward. Even as Nike marks its 50th anniversary this year, Hoke has his sights set on the future, refusing to settle for what has worked in the past. Design, he believes, is a continual, iterative process of improvement. 

On this episode, Hoke talks with Andrew about how physical movement amplifies the senses, design as an act of optimism, and why perfection is a trap.

Special thanks to our Season 5 sponsor, L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts.

Show notes:

• Full transcript
• [04:16] Nike
• [07:11] Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT%
• [12:43] Nike FlyEase
• [13:06] Nike Air VaporMax 
• [16:12] Nike’s FY20 Impact Report 
• [18:03] Space Hippie
• [19:36] Nike Considered Design
• [45:29] Michael Graves
• [01:02:19] Nike: Better Is Temporary
• [01:04:26] LeBron James Innovation Center
• [01:04:26] Serena Williams Building