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Who is Apple's top designer Jony Ive? Who is Apple's top designer Jony Ive?
(about 4 hours later)
Sir Jony Ive has designed some of Apple's most iconic products over the years and was a key influence on the firm's simplistic design.Sir Jony Ive has designed some of Apple's most iconic products over the years and was a key influence on the firm's simplistic design.
The 52-year-old London native has spent the better part of his adult life at Apple and was close to its co-founder, Steve Jobs. The 52-year-old has spent the better part of his adult life at Apple and was close to its co-founder, Steve Jobs.
The departure of the "thoughtful" Sir Jonathan for his own company will be a loss for Apple, which is already facing challenges.The departure of the "thoughtful" Sir Jonathan for his own company will be a loss for Apple, which is already facing challenges.
From the "ground-breaking" iMac to Apple's ambitious new Apple Park campus, he has helped to shape one of the world's most successful companies.From the "ground-breaking" iMac to Apple's ambitious new Apple Park campus, he has helped to shape one of the world's most successful companies.
"Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple's revival cannot be overstated," said Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive."Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple's revival cannot be overstated," said Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive.
Sir Jonathan studied design at Newcastle Polytechnic and after graduating, worked at a London-based design consultancy that had Apple among its clients. He began working at Apple in 1992. Sir Jonathan grew up in Chingford, Essex, born to a silversmith and a schools inspector.
He studied design at Newcastle Polytechnic - now Northumbria University - and it is there he designed his first phone, which looked like a gadget from a sci-fi movie.
After graduating, he worked at a London-based design consultancy that had Apple among its clients. He began working at Apple in 1992.
He went on to became head of the company's design team at a time when Apple was in poor financial health and cutting jobs.He went on to became head of the company's design team at a time when Apple was in poor financial health and cutting jobs.
His design of the iMac in 1998 and the iPod in 2001 helped to trigger a dramatic turnaround in the firm's fortunes. Other landmark designs that followed included the iPhone in 2007 and the iPad in 2010.His design of the iMac in 1998 and the iPod in 2001 helped to trigger a dramatic turnaround in the firm's fortunes. Other landmark designs that followed included the iPhone in 2007 and the iPad in 2010.
"From the coloured iMacs and the different generations of Apple products; the computer line, the laptop line, the iPhone and every generation of iPhone since then, the iPad generations, the transformers, the chargers, the connectors - all of those things came out of Jony's team," says Tim Kobe, the chief executive of Eight Inc and the designer of the first four generations of Apple retail stores."From the coloured iMacs and the different generations of Apple products; the computer line, the laptop line, the iPhone and every generation of iPhone since then, the iPad generations, the transformers, the chargers, the connectors - all of those things came out of Jony's team," says Tim Kobe, the chief executive of Eight Inc and the designer of the first four generations of Apple retail stores.
More recently, he has been responsible for Apple Park, the company's new 175-acre campus in California. More recently, Sir Jonathan has been responsible for Apple Park, the company's new 175-acre campus in California.
The campus, which opened in 2017, features a 2.8 million-sq-ft main building with the world's largest panels of curved glass.The campus, which opened in 2017, features a 2.8 million-sq-ft main building with the world's largest panels of curved glass.
Sir Jonathan was very close to Steve Jobs, the technology pioneer and co-founder of Apple who died in 2011. The cult of Jony Ive
Mr Kobe says that, other than Mr Jobs' assistant and maybe the public relations team, Sir Jonathan was "probably the closest person" to Mr Jobs in the company. Sir Jonathan has achieved something akin to cult "folk hero" status with the general public - in particular Apple fans, but why?
"They were very close both during work time and outside of that." "There is a fascination with Jony Ive because he is a mysterious figure who tends to shun publicity but when he talks, he sums up Apple's values," says Macworld UK editor David Price.
One time, Mr Kobe says, they were in a place with sunflowers and the structure of the flower became the inspiration for the design of one of the iMacs. Since the death of Steve Jobs, the technology pioneer and co-founder of Apple who died in 2011, Apple fans have looked to Sir Jonathan even more, Mr Price adds, because he has more charisma than Apple's chief executive Tim Cook. Videos of Sir Jonathan frequently go viral online.
Sir Jonathan was a key part of Apple's design ethos of focusing on the essential aspects of a product. "He is charismatic but he's also shy. People really like the fact he doesn't push himself forward, he's thoughtful and reserved. He always credited his team."
"Steve [Jobs] described design as what the product does for people. Much of the design ethos that Apple grew into was about… what's essential. So not having more than you need to do the job of what the product is [intended for]," Mr Kobe says. Mr Price remembers an appearance Sir Jonathan made on the BBC children's TV show Blue Peter in 2013.
"Steve, of course, had a huge role in that, as did most of Jony's team and other consultants who were involved, but Jony led that ethos and the definition of the Apple design language that we know today." "On Blue Peter he was judging designs by children and he put a lot of thought into their work and gave them really good feedback."
Sir Jonathan spoke about the importance of simplicity during several press interviews over the years. Creating desirability
"As a designer, what I think you are trying to do is solve extremely complex problems but make that resolution very simple. You're not dragging people through the victories - or otherwise - that you've been working on," Sir Jonathan said in an interview with the Financial Times. "I'm really proud of all of those victories that are unseen." According to Mr Price, the late Steve Jobs understood that design was absolutely key to the success of products, and so he made Apple's chief designer a member of the management suite of executives.
Sir Jonathan is now a multi-award winning designer and was knighted in 2013 "for services to design and enterprise". Over time, Sir Jonathan would eventually oversee both the software and hardware design for all Apple products.
Mr Kobe says: "Jony is not the typical big ego designer. He is brilliant but a quiet, modest, thoughtful and reasoned person." Not all of these products have been a success - there have been missteps, like the Magic Mouse 2, which had a charging port on the bottom, so it couldn't be used while it was charging.
Jony had a extraordinary relationship with his tight-knit design team that is validated by the fact the team has worked together for so many years, he says. However, on the whole Sir Jonathan is considered to be responsible for much of Apple's success and popularity with consumers.
"As a leader, he pushed everyone very very hard, but he also respected the team's opinions and was able to bring out the best in people." "He gave Apple desirability. He stripped away layers of clunky technological design and he created these incredibly smooth shiny objects with rounded edges and fewer buttons," says the Design Museum's chief curator, Justin McGuirk.
"He applied the tradition of German modernism from the mid-20th Century, which upheld the philosophy that less design was better. The more you can reduce something, the more beautiful and functional it is. He created this ideal of a tech product, which was easy to use, beautiful and uncluttered."
The Design Museum awarded Sir Jonathan its inaugural Designer of the Year award in 2003, because he was already becoming something of a household name.
"People usually can't name designers in the tech world - they can rarely name designers at all, unless they're fashion designers," said Mr McGuirk.
"Undeniably, over the last 20 years, if you look at how any laptop or smartphone is designed, companies are finding it hard to distinguish themselves from an aesthetic Apple designed. They're following - not leading."
Sir Jonathan has spoken about the importance of simplicity during several press interviews over the years.
"As a designer, what I think you are trying to do is solve extremely complex problems but make that resolution very simple. You're not dragging people through the victories - or otherwise - that you've been working on," Sir Jonathan said in an interview with the Financial Times.
"I'm really proud of all of those victories that are unseen."
With Sir Jonathan departing Apple to start his own firm, there are concerns that Apple products won't be the same any more.
"Apple were terrified of losing him," says Mr Price. "He's the star. He's the talent. There will be an amazing set of designers left behind - that's the team he put together - but people are going to start to worry.
"I don't think it can be business as usual. He's going to taper off the work he does for Apple, whether it's fairly soon or takes a few years."