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Jonathan Ive on Apple's design philosophy
Late last year, Tim Cook put Jony Ive in the position of heading up Apple's Human Interface (HI) design across the company's products. Known for his work on Apple hardware, the British designer has worked his way up the ranks at Apple. He was highly regarded by Steve Jobs, who called him his "spiritual partner at Apple" in Walter Isaacson's biography of the Apple co-founder. While his hardware products speak for themselves, a spate of recent interviews gives us some insight into the design philosophy that drives this Apple executive. We know that Ive, like Tim Cook, is focused on making products the best they can be. In a May 2012 interview with the Telegraph, Ive said, "We're keenly aware that when we develop and make something and bring it to market that it really does speak to a set of values. And what preoccupies us is that sense of care, and what our products will not speak to is a schedule, what our products will not speak to is trying to respond to some corporate or competitive agenda. We're very genuinely designing the best products that we can for people." Ive also looks at products in their own right, and doesn't design a new model as a copycat or a clone. In this iPad mini video, he explains that "there is inherent loss in just reducing a product in size" and notes that Apple looked at the mini and "took the time to go back to the beginning and design a product that was a concentration of, not a reduction of, the original." Ive also spoke recently on Blue Peter about how Apple names its products and suggested that Apple is as careful with names as it is with outward design. Ive spoke about the term lunchbox and noted that Apple wouldn't use that name as it conjures up the image of a cube. He said "we're quite careful with the words we use, because those can determine the path that you go down." So what Ive influences will we see in the next version of iOS and OS X now that he is in charge of HI design? I honestly don't know, but I will say this -- if Ive puts his mark on it, it will be outstanding.
Daily Update for February 18, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Sir Jony Ive discusses design on Blue Peter show, receives Gold Badge
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television program, broadcast on BBC since 1959, so it's not surprising that Apple Senior Vice President of Industrial Design Sir Jony Ive was an avid viewer of the show as a child. Ive was recently a guest on Blue Peter where he talked about an early design experience tied to the show and then commented on children's designs for a combination school bag / lunch bag / pencil case. As you can see in the video clip below, Sir Jony was also awarded the rare high honor of a Blue Peter Gold Badge. Ive seemed genuinely touched by receiving the award from host Barney Harwood, and reciprocated by having a CNC milling machine make a large "aluminium" badge for the show staff.
BBC's Blue Peter honours Jony Ive with gold Blue Peter badge
The BBC's long-standing children's program, Blue Peter, has honoured Jony Ive with a gold Blue Peter badge, the show's highest accolade. The show has a tradition of inspiring and encouraging young children to design, create and make things. As reported by the BBC, a special gadget edition of Blue Peter will be broadcast this Saturday, where a prefilmed segment -- already available on the BBC's Media Centre website -- shows Ive receiving the award from Blue Peter presenter Barney Harwood. Ive, who grew up in London and watched the show as a child, viewed children's designs submitted to Blue Peter of an all-in-one school bag, lunch box and pencil case, and reminisced on one particular episode that had really stuck with him, where a presenter made a paint brush holder from an old plastic bottle. Upon receiving the award, Ive said, "That's absolutely incredible, " and that he was "very grateful." Ive also presented the show with his own rather large design of the Blue Peter badge, made out of solid aluminium, cut on one of Apple's CNC machines. The special Blue Peter show will air tomorrow in the UK at 10 AM GMT on the CBBC channel.
Apple's Sir Ive honored with BBC kids TV's greatest honor, the gold Blue Peter badge (video)
Knighthood, schmighthood. Apple's British design head has just picked up a golden Blue Peter badge. The show, which has been running on UK TV for over 50 years, even had their gift reciprocated, with Sir Jonathan Ive offering up a solid aluminum Blue Peter badge (above) that took over 10 hours to craft. Ive can count himself in good company, joining other luminaries like JK Rowling and David Beckham. The segment will air during a gadget special tomorrow, but you can watch the exchange between kids TV and Apple design right after the break.
