John Hoke III

When John Hoke III was 13, he mailed a sketch of a shoe idea to Philip Knight, Nike co-founder, suggesting that air infused into the shoe could help athletes run faster and jump higher.

“Nike wrote me back,” Hoke recalls. “They thanked me for the letter and sent along a pair of shoes and a T-shirt. I was blown away that a company like Nike would take interest in a kid like me.”

Whether the eighth-grader in Reading, Pa., realized at that moment that one day he'd work for Nike is not part of the public record.

After getting his bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture from Penn State University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively, and working as a project designer with architect Michael Graves in Princeton, N.J., Hoke joined Nike in 1992 as a senior designer, environmental design.

His projects there have included global fixture design, the Nike pavilion at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, NikeTown New York and the new Nike Goddess women's branding and retail store. In January, he was named global creative director, footwear design. (He had previously been global creative director, in charge of the Nike brand, and global creative director, image design.)

What did you have to learn the hard way?

Pretty much everything. I'm dyslexic.

What's the best advice you ever got?

Be generous with your time, talent and attention, and it will come back to you in spades. It's a constant theme of success from my wife, Karen.

What's the worst advice you ever received?

“Don't invest in eBay – nobody wants to buy others people's used junk.” And that advice came from a financial analyst (now an ex-financial analyst). I'm an eBay-o-holic. It's the perfect medium for the obsessive-compulsive collector. The Japanese call this affliction “otaku.”

What's absolute rule number one at Nike?

Innovate or die. If you are not bringing something new to the party, stay home.

What's the most memorable thing Phil Knight ever said to you?

In early 1996, he began a meeting to review progress on the NikeTown New York project by stating, “When we started making shoes in 1972, we weren't very good. But we got better and changed the industry. Right now, we are getting better at creating retail spaces. This store will be about changing our industry yet again.”

What part of your job is the most rewarding?

Working with creative people, tapping into designers'imaginations, creating smart ideas that challenge the status quo, building things, inspiring people.

What's the most frustrating?

Finding a parking place in the morning. It's a bitch.

Exactly who is the Nike Goddess?

Any woman who strives to live an active life – whether that's winning Olympic gold, getting her morning run in, beating the hubby at tennis or just chasing the kids down. A goddess says, “Bring it on!”

Who are your personal and professional heroes?

Personal heroes would have to be my parents, my wife and children for supporting my creative habits and believing in me, even when I don't believe in myself. Professionally, George Nelson for his vision and eye, Charles and Ray Eames for their pioneering design spirit, Philippe Starck for his sense of humor and Michael Graves for his love of drawing.

What is still the most Michael Graves aspect of your work?

I still love creating thematic forms! I still have a very classical sense of proportion and scale. And I still love to draw!