Hyper: My Experiences With An Electron-based Terminal Emulator

Besides having a portfolio, do you like the idea of designers being invested in other things? For example being active bloggers/writers, or otherwise outspoken in their community? How much do you value side hustles?

We love designers who are active in creative pursuits outside of their day-to-day design. Our design work is definitely challenging and inspiring but sometimes, you have to look outside your everyday world to feel inspired.

We have many designers who pursue creative interests outside of Nike Design — music, art, photography, sculpture. This is all valued and encouraged.

However, we are a brand and a company so designers need to balance creative pursuits with the corporate guidelines of Nike. Obviously you have to be reasonable and not do things in direct competition with our brand — that’s obvious!

What are the top mistakes you see designers make when applying for a job at Nike? Are there any specific things that keep bothering you? Please complain to us! (:

• Not having a curated portfolio. Your portfolio should be your best work only and not everything you have ever designed!
• Not knowing what you want to do. For example, emails from designers asking, “Does Nike have any job openings?”
• Lack of preparation. You have to be proactive; have your portfolio ready and a brief pitch of your skills and experiences.

Tell us one thing you never want to see again on a portfolio website. Anything you wish you saw more?

Things that make it hard to see your work, like: “Website coming soon,” passwords for everything, really old content, links you cannot open…

Simple, curated books with one or two of your greatest projects are the best. If you are posting your work, it should be at a quality level you are proud of.

Do you have a favorite story of an application that really stuck with you? Someone who prototyped their own Nike shoe, maybe? Or redesigned an app without you asking?

Yes, for sure. People have sent shoes, brought shoes to presentations, etc.

I am open to anything creative but ultimately, it’s much more simple. You don’t actually need to do anything crazy to get our attention — you just need to show your excellent design work. It’s all about the work. Luckily, in the field of design, your work is not represented by only a resume.

For legal reasons, we do not recommend you redesign a Nike product. What you have already designed should speak for your skills.