On a Friday afternoon at the end of my last lecture my tutor, Hugh challenges myself and the class to a game. The game involves us viewing a slideshow of products all from a single designer and it is a race to see who says the designer's name first. I will admit, I struggle a lot on these and am impressed to find out how much some of my fellow classmates know. This lack of knowledge has spurred me on to learn more about designers and their work they are so famous for. After all, if I’m going to be a designer, I should probably know a couple myself! So let’s just keep this simple and start from the very top and when I mean that, I mean the top of a google search.
Jony Ive was the first result so that’s good enough for me! So, who is he? Ive was born on 27th of February 1967 in London. He studied art and design at Newcastle Polytechnic and soon after graduating he began Tangerine, a design consultancy. In 1992 Apple offered Ive a job in California where he stayed up until November 2019. During his time at Apple Ive focused on minimalism and simplicity. This design ethos is clear to see when looking at Apple's products today. In Ives 27 years at Apple, it was fair to say he was involved in the majority of the company’s iconic products. To celebrate Ives success, I’m going to go through a handful of the products he worked on.
The iMac G3 changed the aesthetic for computers at the time. The majority of all computers were dull grey boxes, however, Ive had the idea to make the back colourful and translucent. This industry-changing idea allowed Apple to make its first profitable year in 3 years, after 2 million iMacs were sold. This was also the first Apple computer to make the move onto USB ports and remove the floppy drive. Later down the line, this computer was available in 10 different colours ranging from lime to strawberry.
Ive was involved in the G4 cube and isub speakers. This is something I never knew that existing but enjoyed discovering. The speakers were by Harmon Kardon and powered by USB. They both look like they belong in a spaceship due to their obscure aesthetics. I like how the hardware is left on display as the casing is made from clear plastic. This aesthetic ties in nicely with the iMac G3. I mainly find this product so intriguing as your able to watch how it operates internally.
The next item on this shortlist of products Jony worked on was arguably the most iconic. The iPhone was launched in 2007 and it is said that they sold over 270,000 units in the first weekend. It was one of the first products to combine aspects of the phone, iPod and handheld computer. The design of this product was nominated as the Design Museum’s Design of the Year in 2008 but did not win. Design Museum director Deyan Sudjic later said that it was “a howling error”.
Ive also took a major role in the first update of Apple's user interface. IOS 7 was designed to declutter the screen and become more minimal. I think minimalism is what has brought Apple so much success. It allows for anyone to pick up their products and use them to some degree. “True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation; it’s about bringing order to complexity,” said Ive at the launch of the update.
This week’s Glasgow bargain is for all my O2 customers. If you’re not with O2, well that’s just a shame. If you are then on a Tuesday or Wednesday, you are entitled to a complimentary hot or cold drink. I will warn you though there is a limited number of coupons so you might not get one if you leave it until Wednesday. So, get there quick!
