Nick Foster

Nick Foster RDI is a Futures Designer based in Oakland, California.

Through a rich career spanning over 25 years, Nick has held influential design and leadership roles in organizations including Google, Sony, Nokia, and Dyson. He’s established himself as a pioneering figure in the field of Futures Design, and in 2021 was awarded the title ‘Royal Designer for Industry' in recognition of his significant contributions to the discipline – the highest professional accolade for a British designer.

As the Head of Design at Google X, Nick led a diverse team of designers, researchers, strategists and prototypers in the development of world changing technology projects, from brain-controlled computer interfaces and robots which learn, to stratospheric internet balloons and neighborhood-scale nuclear fusion. Despite this ambitious field of work, Nick is widely recognized for his approachable, down-to-earth, and occasionally irreverent style. His work seeks to identify everyday, mundane, human moments in emerging technologies, making them relatable and understandable, rather than escapist and unattainable.

Nick is an accomplished public speaker who has delivered keynote addresses in cities across the world, engaging audiences of every scale. In addition to his speaking work, he writes extensively, with essays and commentary featured in publications such as The New York Times the Alpine Review and Monocle. His first solo book, Could, Should, Might, Don’t was published globally in 2025 by Farrar, Strauss and Giroux in New York, and Canongate in London. He has also served as an advisor to the United Nations Development Programme, and has taught at universities throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States.

Born in Derby - a city synonymous with innovation and the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution - Nick was named 'Young Engineer for Britain' by the British Engineering Council in 1991. In 2001, he earned his Masters degree from the Royal College of Art, and in 2018, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Nick moved to California in 2012, where he lives with his wife, Jayne.