Despite the popularity of Apple’s iconic designs, the creative genius behind them remains
relatively unknown.
I’d like to ask Jony Ive, our SVP of design, to come up and take us through that.
Without Jony Ive, Apple wouldn’t be Apple.
Good morning.
He created products that are not only functional but emotional.
He made people feel something when they held an iPhone in their hand.
Design was in his blood.
His father was a silversmith and teacher who helped craft a new design curriculum for UK
schools from which his son benefitted.
Mike Ive constantly talked to his son about design.
Leander Kahney’s book on Jony Ive describes how, when they walked down the street, Mike
would point out the different types of streetlamps to his son and how their shape affected how
the light was cast.
Design offered him an outlet for his creativity, which is a common trait among people like
him who have dyslexia.
As his Christmas gift, his father would give him full access to his workshop, where he
could build anything his heart desired so long as he sketched it first.
Jony told Steve Job’s biographer Walter Isaacson that, “I always understood the
beauty of things made by hand.
I came to realize that what was really important was the care that was put into it.”
By the age of 13, he knew he wanted to be a designer but didn’t know what he wanted
to design.
When his work was showcased at a design conference, the leading London design firm Roberts Weaver
Group was so impressed that it agreed to support him through university if Jony promised to
join the company upon graduation.
Jony studied in the north of England at Newcastle Polytechnic, now known as Northumbria University.
The Bauhaus design philosophy that emerged in Germany in the early 20th century had made
its way into British design schools.
Bauhaus emphasized minimalism: including only what is needed into designs.
Objects had clean lines, simple forms, and were pleasing to the eye.
That design philosophy heavily influenced Jony, who brought the Bauhaus aesthetic to
Apple.
While at university, Jony interned with the design firm that was supporting him.
When he had to design a pen for a Japanese client, he noticed that people liked to “fiddle”
around with their pens.
So he added a ball-and-clip mechanism to the top of the pen that served no purpose other
than to give someone something to do.
This humanized the technology.
People didn’t want to just write with the pen – they wanted to touch it and play around
with it.
Much like how they “play” with their Apple products today.
Jony worked hard as an undergraduate student.
When a friend visited his apartment, he found more than a hundred prototypes for a landline
telephone.
Creating numerous prototypes became his signature at Apple.
Even if the changes were small, he felt they were important to physically see.
Although he designed tech products, he didn’t consider himself a “tech” guy.
Growing up, the only computer that spoke to him…was Apple’s Mac.
He thought it was a lot easier to use than any other computer.
And he believed the designers actually cared about the product and how consumers felt when
they used it.
It was a really profound moment, I don’t think I’ve actually had quite the same sense
of “wow” with a product before.
He told the Design Museum in London: “The more I learnt about this cheeky, almost rebellious
company the more it appealed to me…”
The bursaries he received for his stellar work as a student gave him the chance to travel
to Silicon Valley, where he visited the studio of a star designer.
Robert Brunner was impressed by Jony’s phone concept.
Unlike other student projects, it wasn’t simply a mockup but included the internal
components.
Brunner asked him to consider joining his design firm upon graduation, but Jony had
already promised to return to London to work for Roberts Weaver Group, which had been financing
his education.
A few months later, Brunner helped Apple establish its own in-house design studio.
Up until then, Apple had contracted its design work out to a German firm.
After his big trip to America, Jony submitted a report to the group that awarded him the
travel bursary, writing: “I immediately fell in love with San Francisco and desperately
hope that I can return there sometime in the future.”
Back in the UK, he spent a year and a half with Roberts Weaver Group, before he left
to join the design startup Tangerine co-founded by his friend, a former designer at Roberts
Weaver.
At Tangerine, the four-person team designed everything for clients, from TVs to toilets.
Jony designed a minimalistic comb for a Scottish hairdresser that went on to win a prestigious
prize.
But sometimes, he found it frustrating working with clients who had a different vision than
him.
For example, a major bathroom company was unhappy with Jony’s toilet designs named
Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello.
They were named after the teenage mutant ninja turtles.
The company claimed they were too modern and too expensive to produce.
The designs that he put his heart and soul into were literally flushed down the toilet.
So when the California designer who had been impressed by his telephone prototype came
knocking again, Jony couldn’t resist.
Brunner was the head of industrial design at Apple.
John Sculley was the CEO of Apple at the time.
Steve Jobs had been forced out of the company he co-founded and was trying to make his new
software company NeXT succeed while keeping his other company Pixar afloat.
When Brunner hired Tangerine to work on some potential future products for Apple, the team
speculated it was just a ploy to try to lure Jony to California.
California was a long way from London.
Jony also wasn’t sure his wife would want to move so far from home.
But there were too many reasons to say yes.
Apple would allow him to focus on his craft rather than the business side of a startup.
He could see a design through from start to finish.
Plus, he had fallen in love with the Mac.
So, he packed his bags for the Golden State.
Jony’s first big assignment at Apple was the second-generation MessagePad, a personal
digital assistant that laid the foundation for the iPhone.
He designed it to flip open from the top rather than from the side because then it wasn’t
culturally specific as people in North America and Europe would want it to open from left
to right, whereas people in Japan, for example, would want it to open from right to left.
He was always attuned to the needs of the consumer.
He won several awards for the MessagePad though he wasn’t really interested in accolades.
He was humble and focused on his work.
Unfortunately, Jony’s stellar design wasn’t enough.
The MessagePad bombed due to battery issues and poor handwriting recognition - which the
Simpsons made fun of.
It was a lesson learned, and, in the future, Jony made sure he could influence the engineering
process as well.
Jony quickly emerged as Brunner’s second in command.
Brunner wanted his design team to come up with concepts that would excite people the
way they’d get excited over a new piece of furniture.
At that time, in the early nineties, computers were becoming increasingly popular in peoples’
homes.
But they were big and boxy.
Jony refined the design of the desktop Mac into a slim, flat-screen computer.
The first two units of the Twentieth Anniversary Mac were given to Apple co-founders Steve
Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1997.
Jobs was brought in as an advisor when Apple bought his company NeXT.
But the new Mac failed as well.
It was very pricey at $9,000.
Other computers were selling for less than half that price.
Brunner felt burnt out and quit.
So, Jony Ive became the new head of industrial design at just 29 years old.
But he had his frustrations, too.
He felt Apple’s then-CEO, Gilbert Amelio had no desire to innovate.
His immediate boss promised him things would soon be different.
Amelio was quickly forced out as CEO.
And Steve Jobs was back at the helm.
It had been 12 years since Jobs was ousted from Apple.
When he returned, he held a meeting of top executives.
Ive recalls: “I remember very clearly Steve announcing that our goal is not just to make
money but to make great products.”
Jobs wanted Apple to focus on creating first-class products that people would be willing to pay
a premium for, much like the way people are willing to pay more for a Mercedes than a
Chevy.
Jobs had a vision of what he wanted Apple products to be.
He told the New York Times:
'Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like.
'People think it's this veneer -- that the designers are handed this box and told, 'Make
it look good!'
That's not what we think design is.
It's not just what it looks like and feels like.
Design is how it works.''
He entrusted him to execute his vision of building beautiful and functional products.
Jobs told Isaacson that Ive “has more operational power than anyone else at Apple except me.”
The first order of business was to create a new desktop.
Apple had many products, but no stand-out product.
The company was close to bankruptcy due to declining sales as it faced competition from
PCs with Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows.
Engineers had played a leading role in the design process up until then.
They determined the size of the device, and then the design team had to design an enclosure
that fit.
But when Jobs returned as CEO, the design team started calling more of the shots.
Ive constantly butted heads with Jon Rubinstein, Apple's head of engineering, who was actually
his supervisor.
Engineers weren’t happy that they were now forced to fit hardware into a design.
While thinking about the new computer, a member of the design team suggested it should be
translucent.
This was a complete contrast to the dark, grey look of computers back then.
Ive loved the idea.
“A lot of people at that point in time were nervous around computers, around technology.
So, our clear goal was how we can make the product accessible and not intimidating.”
Translucency made it less intimidating.
Ive also added a handle to the computer.
This was not for carrying but to build a bond with the user, to make it seem more approachable.
He explained to Isaacson: “If you’re scared of something, then you won’t touch it.
I could see my mum being scared to touch it.
So I thought, if there’s this handle on it, it makes a relationship possible.”
The importance of a personal connection was reflected in the name of the computer.
The “i” in iMac stood for internet but it also stood for individual.
It was a make-or-break moment for Apple when Jobs unveiled the iMac in May 1998.
The whole thing is translucent; you can see into it.
It’s so cool!
Despite his enthusiasm, the reviews were mixed.
Journalists noted the lack of a floppy drive which Jobs felt would date the machine.
He wanted something that represented the future.
A reporter with the Boston Globe predicted that “The iMac will only sell to some of
the true believers.”
How wrong he was.
People went CRAZY for the iMac.
It went on sale for $1,299, and by the end of 1998, the iMac became the fastest-selling
desktop in history.
The iMac had a huge impact on our culture - suddenly, it seemed like everything in the
late nineties and early 2000s was transparent!
The iMac was constantly upgraded and also released in multiple colors.
It set a precedent for the iPod, which was constantly improved and released in colorful
designs.
There it is right there
Jobs saw an opportunity to create a portable music device that relied on the latest digital
technology rather than CDs.
He wanted something small enough to fit in your pocket and easy to use.
A wheel was a clever way to navigate through the menu.
Interestingly, there was no on-off button.
Any button could turn the device on, and it turned off after a period of inactivity which
spoke to its ease of use.
The iPod was beautiful - besides the stainless steel back that was easily scratchable.
Ive decided that the first iPod should be white to emphasize the simplicity and elegance
of the device.
This was a breakthrough moment because white would become the staple color in Apple’s
lineup and is synonymous with the brand.
With Apple’s success, Jony was generously rewarded and was able to enjoy himself in
his downtime and splurge a little.
He had an affinity for British luxury cars which nearly killed him.
While driving with another Apple designer in the passenger seat, Ive lost control of
his Aston Martin and struck a median.
The car was completely totaled, but thankfully, both men survived.
And there was still a lot to accomplish.
The wheel on the iPod may have been a clever way to navigate through the menu.
But what about something even more intuitive.
When the engineering team produced a multi-touch system as a demo, Ive knew it would be a game
changer.
He decided to show it to Jobs privately because his boss had a tendency to flat-out reject
ideas, and Ive didn’t want him to reject this one so quickly, especially in front of
the entire team.
In this case, he had nothing to worry about.
Jobs agreed touch was the future.
The idea of a touch device led to the iPhone.
As with all Apple products, the iPhone was built in secret.
Most of Apple’s employees were not allowed in the design lab.
He showed Jobs prototypes of top-secret designs on wooden tables outside his office, which
inspired the big open tables at Apple stores.
The models were covered with a black cloth when not in use.
Ive believed nothing should detract from the iPhone screen.
He wanted it to look like an infinity pool where the display seemed to extend endlessly
with no visible edges or boundaries.
Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone.
Apple released the iPhone in 2007.
If I want to call Jony, I’ll I do is push his mobile number, and I’m calling him right
now.
Hello Steve.
Hey Jony, how are you doing?
Well it’s 2.5 years and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to make the first public
phone call with iPhone.
The iPhone is widely regarded as one of the most influential product designs of the 21st
century.
But there is one more thing
Why not make the screen bigger and turn it into another product?
And we call it the iPad
Although the iPad came out after the iPhone, Jobs said the idea for a tablet came first.
Apple once again established itself as the standard-bearer for innovative products.
By the time the iPad was released in 2010, Jobs had already been diagnosed with pancreatic
cancer.
Despite multiple treatments and surgeries, his health deteriorated.
A year later, in August 2011, he stepped down as CEO.
When he was recovering from his first bout of cancer, Jobs asked to see two people: his
wife Laurene and Jony Ive, as recounted in the book by Leander Kahney.
Jobs referred to Ive as his “spiritual partner.”
They had worked together for nearly 15 years and had lunch together almost every day.
One month after Jobs resigned from Apple, he died on October 5, 2011.
He was only 56 years old.
He famously said during a Stanford commencement address that “death is very likely the single
best invention of life.
It is Life's change agent.
It clears out the old to make way for the new”.
Jobs' family held a private funeral that four Apple executives attended, including new CEO
Tim Cook, formerly Apple’s chief operating officer, and Jony Ive.
On the 10th anniversary of Jobs’ death, Jony wrote a touching letter about his friend
that was published in the Wall Street Journal.
“I think about Steve every day.”
He said he and Steve’s widow Laurene are close.
“When her brilliant and inquisitive children ask me about their dad I just cannot help
myself.
I can talk happily for hours describing the remarkable man I loved so deeply.”
“I loved how he saw the world.
The way he thought was profoundly beautiful.”
“He truly believed that by making something useful, empowering and beautiful, we express
our love for humanity.”
Some wondered if Ive might return to the UK after Jobs’ death.
In 2012, he was knighted and became Sir Jony Ive.
But Ive remained at Apple for another two decades and helped push for the Apple Watch.
In 2019, he left Apple to start his own design firm, LoveFrom, where Apple became his client.
He had reportedly grown disillusioned with Apple under Cook, which had begun to focus
increasingly on selling software and services rather than on sweeping design changes.
Apple and Ive’s design firm parted ways in 2022.
Apple would not be Apple without Jony Ive.
The question now is whether Apple can continue to turn out beautifully crafted, innovative