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 and leadership roles in organisations 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.

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 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, and has delivered keynote addresses in cities all over the world, to audiences both large and small. From presenting at the Frankfurt motor show, to participating in a private salon at the Smithsonian museum, his audiences typically include technologists, designers, innovators, policymakers, and those with a thirst for new ways of thinking about the future. Nick also works on numerous writing projects, and is currently developing his first solo book, which will be published globally in the Summer of 2025. He accepted an honorary position at the Royal College of Art in London, works as an advisor to the United Nations Development Program and has tutored at universities across Europe, Asia and the USA. 

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.