Nick Foster RDI MA (RCA) BSc FRSA

‘Fosta’ is the creative alias of Nick Foster RDI, a Futures Designer based in Oakland, California.

Through a rich career spanning over 25 years, Nick has held influential design leadership roles in renowned global entities including Google, Sony, Nokia, and Dyson. He has 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 this field – a title reserved for only 200 living individuals, and the highest accolade for a British designer.

In his most recent capacity 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 interfaces and robots which learn, to stratospheric internet balloons and neighborhood-scale nuclear fusion. Nick is widely known for his approachable, down-to-earth and occasionally irreverent approach, which explores everyday moments from emergent futures, dwelling on the mundane in order to make the future relatable and digestible, rather than escapist and unattainable.

Nick is an accomplished public speaker, and has given keynote addresses in cities all over the world, to audiences both large and small. From presenting at the Frankfurt motor show, to a private salon at the Smithsonian museum, his audiences typically include technologists, designers, innovators, policymakers, and those with a thirst for new ideas about the future. In addition to his professional pursuits, Nick accepted an honorary role as visiting professor at the Royal College of Art in London, he acts as advisor to the United Nations Development Program, and frequently tutors students at colleges and universities across Europe, Asia and the USA. 

Born in Derby, a city synonymous with the Industrial Revolution and the development of the jet engine, Nick was named 'Young Engineer for Britain' by the British Engineering Council. 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