Max Burton – Managing Director, IDEO San Francisco

Max Burton is a globally recognized design leader with over 35 years of experience driving innovation across products, connected devices, and large-scale experiences. He has held executive roles at Smart Design, frog, Fjord, and Accenture, where he led multidisciplinary teams and helped shape iconic, industry-defining work.

As Creative Director at Nike, Max helped create Nike+. In 2012 he founded Matter, a design firm focused on connected products, delivering innovations like the Auris Surgical Robot and the Carnival Medallion Experience. After Matter was acquired by Accenture in 2017, he served as Managing Director of the Connected Products and Spaces Group.

Max later founded Industrial Craft, specializing in MedTech and medical robotics. In April 2025, he joined IDEO as Managing Director of the San Francisco studio, leading the company’s West Coast hub.

His work has earned global design awards, numerous patents, and has been exhibited at MoMA, the London Design Museum, and Cooper Hewitt. A graduate of Manchester Metropolitan University and the Royal College of Art, Max is a frequent speaker, writer, and educator in the design community. He also serves on the board of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

Contact: max.burton@mac.com

MATTER

Founder, CEO and Chief Designer

As the founder, CEO, and chief designer for Matter, Max defined the company's purpose, mission, and short and long-term strategic plans.  Within a few short years, Matter became the preeminent design agency in San Francisco, attracting exceptional talent and cutting-edge projects. Accenture acquired Matter in 2017.

frog

Executive Creative Director and Global Lead for Product Design

Max's objective at frog was to advance the product design capability in frogs' studios around the world. His role included hiring, capability planning, business development, thought leadership, and leading major programs. The most significant project he co-led was the MyMagic+ platform for Disney World in Florida, frog's most significant project in over three decades.

Nike

Creative Director: Nike+, Nike Timing and Monitoring

In 2006, Max became the Creative Director of Nike's TechLab, which designed Nike's first smart wearables called the Nike+ Sports Band and the Nike+ Sport Watch.
In 2004, Max Joined Nike as the Creative Director of the Timing and Monitoring. He led a team of designers and engineers to define product roadmaps, develop briefs, coordinate with the Nike brand.

Nike+ iPod Sport Kit

Nike+ Fuel System

Nike+ Sportband

Nike Kids Sportband

Nike Triax Vapor 300

Nike Oregon Series Watch

Nike Cylo C Metal Watch

Nike Imara Watch

Nike Keeva Watch

Nike Cylo C Watch

Nike Kids Imara Watch

Nike Hammer Watch

Nike Watch Concept

Nike Watch Concept

Nike Watch Concept

Smart Design

VP of Design, Senior Designer

Max joined Smart in NYC, 1995 as a senior designer. In 2003 he was promoted to VP and made a partner. Max designed over 20 OXO products at Smart that are still in production today, including the OXO toilet brush and plunger, colander, ice cream scoop, wooden spoons, cleaning brush, squeegee, etc.

OXO Scrub Brush

OXO Squeegee

OXO Hideaway Toilet Plunger

OXO Lemon Reamer

OXO Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop

OXO Stainless Steel Locking Tongs

OXO Colander

OXO Stainless Steel Colander

Revere Sauce Pot

Imation USB Storage Lock

HP Portable Scanner

Delphi XM Radio

Becton Dickson Insulin Pen

Black Magic Brush

Duracell Premium Flashlight

Max's Personal Work

Vitarel

Brass Top Credenza

Floating Shelves

Articles

City with a brain

When Pixels Dominate Design, Your Hardware is the Brand

A Good Chair

The Design of Everyday Life

How experience-led design informed a revolutionary new barbecue called Ferno

Connected spaces: the new frontier in product design