Joe Cooke

London, UK

I'm a designer who builds. Elevated design, conviction, and actually building things. Product concepts, brand universes, product-led companies — from the ground up. Mostly in premium lifestyle, footwear, and hardware (sensor and software prototypes).

Creating a new concept is a mix of science and art. Balancing the strategy of knowing what matters with carefully crafting the bits that do. Moving from imagination to reality, creativity to logic. From things that make business sense, to expression just because.

I also build my own products. Skin in the game sharpens how I help others. Not an agency. Not a conventional freelancer. Fewer clients, longer-term partnerships — extended team through Conju Space when projects need it. I work best with proper leaders, big problems, and respect for design. Get in touch!

Joe is an award-winning designer, technologist and founder — one of the few designers who builds complete product universes and companies. His work has won a Red Dot Design Award and Drapers Footwear Innovation Award, holds multiple patents, and work has been featured in HYPEBEAST, WIRED and the Los Angeles Times.

He developed a slipper and designed a global brand for 'downtime' (mahabis) in 2014. Materials, supply chain, team, vision — all built from scratch. It became the fastest-growing footwear brand in the world. An upcoming hydration product with sensor technology and brand — Busutto — completes the main body of work to date.

He has designed products for lifestyle brands (PUMA) and Fortune 500 innovation labs (JTI), category challengers (TYME) and start-up accelerators (Founders Factory).

Known for a global, premium, performance-led aesthetic — and for building not just objects, but the brands and experiences around them. His process includes highly detailed visualisations and prototyping that bring products and experiences to life before commitment.

His design work overlaps with business, technology and creativity. Also creates light and space installations under the name Rikkonii.

Joe Cooke

London, UK

Get in contact

He has designed products for lifestyle brands (PUMA) and Fortune 500 innovation labs (JTI), category challengers (TYME) and start-up accelerators (Founders Factory).

His design work overlaps with business, technology and creativity. Also creates light and space installations under the name Rikkonii.

Built and designed

When mahabis was just an idea, I joined an experienced entrepreneur and created a slipper. Over the next 6 years, it became the fastest-growing footwear brand in the world and grew from zero to one of the UK's fastest-growing companies. I distilled a product for 'downtime', created a supply chain and hopefully helped a few people put their feet up.

The neoprene heel was a unique solution balancing comfort with security. Its diagonal angle when viewed from the side, along with the upper and sole, came to define the identity of the brand itself.

Busutto

Hydration brand, software and hardware start-up.

Coming Soon

Press my work has been in

"From London comes global design" — Design Milk

"A masterpiece of practicality" — The Telegraph

"I have discovered a few things that make winter actually enjoyable" — Business Insider

Clients I've worked with over the long term

Professional journey

Busutto

Founder

Mahabis

CPO, Lead Designer, Employee 1

Puma

Footwear Design & Development

Testimonials

"Joe is the ultimate go-to creative/design/problem-solving guru and general startup genius - you 100% want him by your side on any project."

Tim Samuels — Aclaimed documentary filmmaker, author, broadcaster and founder

"Joe worked seamlessly across design, technology, and operations, playing a critical role in turning TYME's vision into a cohesive, scalable product and platform."

Toby Adcock — Founder, TYME, Venture Capitalist