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How Steve Jobs learned the importance of design
Fast Company has published an extremely interesting preview of Harmut Esslinger's new book on the early years of Apple, in which he sheds light on some of his first dealings with a young Steve Jobs. Esslinger first joined up with Apple in the early 1980s and, with the help of his company Frog Design, built the "Snow White" design language that Apple used for many years. In the excerpt, Esslinger recalls how he helped emphasize quality design to Jobs, who wasn't used to looking at things through a designer's eyes. "We also discussed American design, and I offended him when I insisted that American computer and consumer electronics companies totally underestimated the taste of American consumers -- Sony's success with clean design being the proof," Esslinger writes. "He was gracious enough to concede that Apple didn't make the cut, but he also said that he was out to change all that, which was why he was looking for a world-class designer." It's a very enjoyable read, so be sure to check out the full piece.
