Ho

I N T ERVI EW
Q UESTI O N O NE

Describe your journey to

where you are now.

fer

My early years in rural

Ontario were focused on
the journey of becoming
a craftsman, building and
practice that draws
talented professionals
together, such as design
researchers, graphic and
refinishing furniture. To industrial designers, and
expand on what I was engineersto deliver
learning about making thoughtful product
things by hand, I began experiences for clients
studying industrial and users alike. The
design in college and unique design partner
during the first few role I often play has
years of my career. After given me viewpoints into
learning traditional different business models,
design techniques such strategies, and the effect

A conversation
as prioritizing a products
function, form-giving,
on product relevance.

with Joseph Hofer

materials selection and
CAD systems, I began
questioning and thinking
about a products purpose
on a deeper level.
Today, Im developing
Hofer Studio, a design
I N T ERVI EW Q U E S TI O N S & D E S I G N
Q UESTI O N O NE NICK Y HOPE

A N SW E R S & I M AG E S
J OS E P H H O F E R

Describe your journey to

where you are now.

My early years in rural

Ontario were focused on
the journey of becoming
a craftsman, building and
practice that draws
talented professionals
together, such as design
researchers, graphic and
refinishing furniture. To industrial designers, and
expand on what I was engineersto deliver
learning about making thoughtful product
things by hand, I began experiences for clients
studying industrial and users alike. The
design in college and unique design partner
during the first few role I often play has
years of my career. After given me viewpoints into
learning traditional different business models,
design techniques such strategies, and the effect
as prioritizing a products on product relevance.
function, form-giving,
materials selection and
CAD systems, I began
questioning and thinking
about a products purpose
on a deeper level.
Today, Im developing
Hofer Studio, a design
I N T RO DUC TI ON

Joseph Hofer resides in Kitchener- Joseph is now directing Hofer

Waterloo, Canada with his wife
Kathryn. He is a multiple Red Dot
and iF award-winning industrial
designer and entrepreneur.
He strives to communicate a
products purpose and usability
through obvious interactions,
enduring aesthetics and
technical innovations.
Studio, a Kitchener-Waterloo
based design practice that serves
as a strategic design partner to
redefine industrial and consumer
brands, as well as cause-marketing
ventures through honest, enduring,
and user-focused design.

His sense of intuition, empathy

and rationality has influenced
the BlackBerry device portfolio
for over a decade, including the
BlackBerry Bold family and the
BlackBerry Passport.
I N T RO
ERVI
DUC
EWTI ON I NTE R V I E W
Q UESTI O N O NE Q U E STI O N O NE

IDescribe
contacted your
Joseph,
journey to Describe your journey to
decided
where youon ten questions,
are now. where you are now.

then fired them his way.
My early years in rural practice that draws My early years in rural practice that draws
Ontario were focused on talented professionals Ontario were focused on talented professionals
the journey of becoming together, such as design the journey of becoming together, such as design
a craftsman, building and researchers, graphic and a craftsman, building and researchers, graphic and
refinishing furniture. To industrial designers, and refinishing furniture. To industrial designers, and
expand on what I was engineersto deliver expand on what I was engineersto deliver
learning about making thoughtful product learning about making thoughtful product
things by hand, I began experiences for clients things by hand, I began experiences for clients
studying industrial and users alike. The studying industrial and users alike. The
design in college and unique design partner design in college and unique design partner
during the first few role I often play has during the first few role I often play has
years of my career. After given me viewpoints into years of my career. After given me viewpoints into
learning traditional different business models, learning traditional different business models,
design techniques such strategies, and the effect design techniques such strategies, and the effect
as prioritizing a products on product relevance. as prioritizing a products on product relevance.
function, form-giving, function, form-giving,
materials selection and materials selection and
CAD systems, I began CAD systems, I began
questioning and thinking questioning and thinking
about a products purpose about a products purpose
on a deeper level. on a deeper level.
Today, Im developing Today, Im developing
Hofer Studio, a design
Photo: Felix Kunze
Hofer Studio, a design
I N T ERVI EW
Q UESTI O N O NE

Describe your journey to

where you are now.

My early years in rural Ontario were focused on

the journey of becoming a craftsman, building and
refinishing furniture.

To expand on what I was learning about making

things by hand, I began studying industrial design in
college and during the first few years of my career.
After learning traditional design techniques such
as prioritizing a products function, form-giving,
materials selection and CAD systems, I began
questioning and thinking about a products
purpose on a deeper level.

Today, Im developing Hofer Studio, a design

practice that draws talented professionals together,
such as design researchers, graphic and industrial
designers, and engineersto deliver thoughtful
product experiences for clients and users alike. The
unique design partner role I often play has given me
viewpoints into different business models, strategies,
and the effect on product relevance.
I N T ERVI EW I NTE R V I E W
Q UESTI O N TWO Q U E STI O N TH R E E

What does a typical day Have you had any mentors

look like to you? along the way?

A typical day starts with a coffee and quiet time.

If not, I can lose sight of the big picture. Planning

my week happens on Monday morning, so I typically

I have, but I think the key is to not only have one. Ive
had different mentors for design, personal, business,
finances, etc. Some were authors, design leaders Id
never met, others became close friends for a season.
have a schedule and list as to what needs to get done
on that particular day. I use blocks of time to either
focus on something near (a deliverable for a client that
week, etc), or far (planning longer term projects, future
business developments, etc).

Since most of my clients and contributors work

remotely, we use video calls, screen sharing, and group
messaging to interact throughout the day. Its always
been important to me to maintain and build my
network, so a coffee or two a week with old and/or
new contacts is not uncommon. Since family is my top
priority, I try to keep evenings personal though I can
be found burning the midnight oil at times to keep a
commitment.
I N T ERVI EW SC R E W C ANC E R SC R E WD R I VE R

Q UESTI O N F O UR

Are there any particular

lessons from them that stick
in your mind?

Jake and Junia Hofer, parents

to treat others as I would prefer to be treated

Kathryn Hofer, wife

to plan what I do before I do it
Frank Tyneski, design and life mentor
to collaborate not control, to forgive and believe for
the best in people, and to always be learning and
pushing oneself
Todd Wood, design mentor
to constantly adjust design focus from macro to micro,
back to macro. To look for patterns, develop principles,
and be intentional about design choicesnever be
careless
Gerry Beekenkamp, design mentor
to appreciate materials and processes
Colin Nanton, life mentor
to pursue my purpose and passion
Brian Klemmer, author
to listen without judgement
Daniel Pink, author
to consider the effects of automation, Asia, and
abundance in planning my future

Doug Heaman, business and life mentor Steve Fleming, father-in-law

to love those hard to love to be of integrity
I N T ERVI EW
Q UESTI O N F I VE
What makes a project
challenging? Are challenging
projects the most rewarding?
In my experience there are two types of challenging
projects.
The first type of challenging project is one thats
culture-driven. It could be a lack of openness to
change from the team, decision-maker to developer.
It could be strong egos, with individuals wanting
things their way over whats best for the user. Not
having a collaborative, respectful team will stall
innovation, cause rework, and kill passion.
The second type of challenging project is constraint-
driven. Often a new product will be birthed out of
specific constraintstechnical, business, or user
criteria that are important for the point in time.
These constraints are incredibly inspiring and needed
to breed innovation, as creative brains work to solve
the problem through ideation and iteration. In a
nutshellweak constraints create a weak design,
strong constraints create a strong design.
I NTE R V I E W
Q U E STI O N S I X
How has your work at
BlackBerry influenced your
current work?
It has influenced me tremendously: Ive become bolder
in my creativity, more diligent in my design, and more
empathetic in my choices.
Ive learned to structure the design process to maintain
a clear congruency between the day to day design
decisions to that of the product and brand purpose.
Deciding on criteria for success early on has helped
me prioritize when I find myself deep in discussions
around trade-offs and compromises. From experience,
Ive come to believe that if something needs to be
forced, its maybe not meant to be. As Frank Tyneski
once said, Design is like holding a bar of soap; if you
squeeze it too hard, youll lose it.
I N T ERVI EW
Q UESTI O N SEVEN A few buckets come to mind though there were
many others.

Design for humans.

What factors did you have
to consider when designing Loyal BlackBerry users loved their device. Was it fit
in hand, materiality, tactility, configurabilityor a
for BlackBerry? combination thereof ? Designing something to be

cherished and used hundreds of times a day was not

an easy challenge. I helped develop the BlackBerry
keyboard surfacing that resulted in a harmonious
blend of ergonomics, brand identity, and speed of
use. Along with that, every aspect of the device was
studied in an attempt to make it feel second nature
and accessible.

Design for physics.

Working closely with the antenna and mechanical

designers, the product designs themselves were often
shaped by technical achievements or considerations.
Such as the Bold 9900 metal frame, one of the first
products with a full continuous metal frame that acted
as an antenna, and without antenna-gate.

Design for the brand.

The BlackBerry Bold product design created

a language that influenced brand identity for
generations of products to come. Considering a
portfolio and designing a framework to build future
products with was top of mind.
I N T ERVI EW
Q UESTI O N EI GH T

How do you think designers

help to shape the world?

By listening before creating, we

build better worlds for all.
I N T ERVI EW
Q UESTI O N N I NE

What advice would you give

to budding designers?

Be patient.
Treat others as you would
prefer to be treated.
Never stop improving yourself.
Focus on both the big picture
and the details.
I N T ERVI EW
Q UESTI O N TEN

Where do you see yourself

in 5 years time?

A more effective design

entrepreneur, by focusing on
family, good design, smart
business, and personal growth.

PA I R KN I F E
EP I LO G U E

At such a divisive and uncertain

time, Joseph reminds us of
the importance of empathy,
compassion and humanity.
It is with this knowledge and
understanding that he creates
such functional, emotional, and
outstanding design.
EP I LO G U E
T H A NKS JOSEPH !

PA I R K N I F E
R E C I P I E N T O F 1 I N 1 0 0 D E S I G N L I N E S AWA R D
TORONTO DE SIG N WE E K 2017

HOFER STUDIO IS AN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN AND

C R E AT I V E PA R T N E R T O B O T H S TA R T- U P S A N D
E S TA B L I S H E D B R A N D S A L I K E , WA N T I N G T O C O N N E C T
W I T H U S E R S I N A B E AU T I F U L A N D
M E A N I N G F U L WAY.

A L L I M AG E S C O P Y R I G H T 2 0 1 7
JOSEPH HOFER - HOFER STUDIO