Chris Hacker talks about how he created a new internal design group in New York City with a mission to “create transcendent consumer experiences.” The design process should be elevated, he says, noting that if designers are not at the table from the beginning, we lose the opportunity to make a real difference. And he explains how “we as designers have the power to change the way that people use things and impact the world.”
Chris Hacker’s role as chief design officer at Johnson & Johnson is to make design a competitive advantage for the company—through strong design, brand identity and sustainable design practices. In this position, Hacker leads all creative processes for brand identity, packaging design and brand imagery. He has set up the Global Strategic Design Office for Johnson & Johnson in New York City. Prior to Johnson & Johnson, Hacker was senior vice president of global marketing and design for Aveda. In this role, he was responsible for everything from product development to brand positioning, visual merchandising to packaging, store design to advertising, as well as Aveda’s global and consumer marketing. In 2004 Hacker accepted, on behalf of Aveda, the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt’s prestigious National Design Award for corporate excellence. He is formally trained as an industrial designer and received his BS in industrial design from the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture and Art.
