In this essay I will be talking about Apple’s revolution, thanks to Jony Ive’s influence, this company evolved into a prominent giant tech company with millions of users across the globe. In this essay I will discuss how Jony Ive's design principles have played a crucial role in Apple's success, I will also discuss his minimalistic design approach and principles, and how it has enhanced users’ experience and functionality in Apple products; Jony’s minimalistic design principles goes to show how he prioritizes Apple users’ experience when it comes to using their products, he made the technology easily accessible and user-friendly another topic I will be focusing on is the development of Apple product designs over the years and some of the major design changes that led by Jony throughout the years.
Design Principles
Jonny Ive has uplifted the brand we know as Apple into something beautiful and reliable, of course in order to achieve such feet it all had to start from somewhere, his design principles, when we look at some of the things He brought into this would we can see how modest and minimalistic his products appear, and we have Dieter Rams to thanks, Dieter Rams is a German designer who designed some consumer products for Braun and Vitsœ; and he had a similar belief to Ludwig van der Rohe, Ludwig’s belief was that “less is more”, whereas Dieter’s belief is “less, but better”, in some funny way you could say that most German artists copy each other when it comes to minimalism; as mentioned earlier Jonny Ive gets his inspiration and design principles from German designer Dieter Rams, the “10 principles for good design” is reflected in Jonny’s craft, even Rams himself says that Apple is one of the few companies that manifest his ten principles. These design principles state that “Good design is innovative” and cannot be exhausted due to how well it can be developed with innovative technology, secondly “Good design makes a product useful”, meaning the product has to serve its purpose adequately and there needs to be an emphasis on the usefulness of the product, the third principle states that “Good design is aesthetic”, indicating that a well-designed product should be beautiful to the eyes as it is something that’ll be used daily, in fourth place we have “Good design makes a product understandable”, this principles states that a product should be able to speak for itself, in other words it should be designed in such a way that the user needn’t fidget with it to figure out how to work it, “Good design is unobtrusive”, that’s the fifth principle, Jonny Ive applied this principle to make Apple products look discreet and self-effacing, meaning the products don’t claim attention because they are merely tools, not works of art; “Good design is honest” because when something is designed well it doesn’t become something more than what it’s meant to be; the seventh principle states that “Good design is long-lasting” because due to being unobtrusive, it never appears old, and “Good design is through down to the last detail”, this eighth principle tells designers that nothing must left behind when it comes to design, everything has to be on point; the ninth principle states that “Good design is environmentally-friendly”, this principle is quite self-explanatory, and the last principle is that “Good design is as little as possible”, this is where the “less, but better” quote comes into play because it hammers on the essentials of the product, this principle is the core principle in my opinion because at the end of the day I believe what both Rams and Ive were trying to accomplish was to make products that are modest without unnecessary buttons and features.
Prioritising Users
In 2013 the iOS 7 was released for the iPhones 4 and 5, this new interface update designed by Jonny Ive, it was the most anticipated redesign, it featured new icons and colour palette, and thanks to its parallax viewers are able to get a blurry visual of what’s behind the icons and a clear visual of what is around the icons, this helps the user focus on the icons; when it came to redesigning the icons, a grid was used to bring harmony. The multitasking feature enabled users to flick through opened tabs on their devices without returning to the home screen. Another update that Ive implemented that showcases his desire for simplicity in his work was the removal of shadows in the Messaging app, this was done to give the bubbles and buttons a flat look.
"I think there is a profound and enduring beauty in simplicity, in clarity, in efficiency".
"True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation; it's about bringing order to complexity".
These things were said by Jonny in a short movie that was shown at the lunch; Apple products are full of things that are either hard to understand or access, of course it takes time to get used to new software, but thanks to Apple hardware not changing and its interface being easy to interact with, it’s become quite easy to use and understand their products.
"A small change at the beginning of the design process defines an entirely different product at the end".
Design Evolution
From designing the iMac in 1998 to designing the Apple Park in 2017, Jonny has left an everlasting print in Apple’s minimalism design, he left after 27 years of fine work in July 2019. He was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was in secondary school, but his neurodivergence did not impede him from becoming one of the best designers in the design industry. In an interview with Times Ive stated that his love for car designs led to him pursuing a career in Industrial Design. The iMac was Ive’s first foot into his success, the design of this computer was outstanding because it didn’t follow the standard grey boxed computers, but instead it had a translucent plastic covering it, the product was then released in 10 different colours; in 1999 He designed the iBook G3 which also had a transparent-opaque shell, it was also one of their first products that had wireless capabilities due to how advanced it was, the iBook G3 was basically a laptop; and in 2001 the famous iPod was released, this was Apple’s first move into the world of digital music, this changed the music market, it was a little device with 5G MP3 player that was designed to not take a lot of space and be user friendly thanks to its few buttons, this made the iPod very simple and easy to use. The iMac G4 came out in 2002 with major updates, but this time the product appeared simpler, it looked like a desk lamp and all its hardware was in the spherical shaped base. Finally Apple came out with their first iPhone in 2007, it was basically an larger iPod that had the ability to browse the internet, make phone calls and take photos, it also came with a touch screen, and since its release it has been updated many times to the iPhones we use today. In 2008 the MacBook Air was introduced to the world, and it was only 1.94cm thick which made it the thinnest laptop in the world. Then eventually the iPad in 2010 which is essentially a much larger phone with its 9.7-inch touch screen. In 2013 the first majorly updated product came out with new hardware and software, and this was the iOS 7 in the iPhone 5s, this redesign really aligned the company with their minimalistic ideas for their future products, in my opinion this was their first true step into minimalism, and this redesign was applied to their other products; and with the Apple Watch in 2014, Ive created a device that enabled users to access and control their phones and other devices from their wrist. Besides designing all these products Jonny also oversaw a construction project in which he designed the doughnut shaped headquarters in Cupertino, California
Conclusion
In conclusion, Jony Ive's design principles, inspired by Dieter Rams, have been pivotal in Apple's revolutionary success due to his focus on minimalism, innovation, and user-friendliness, Ive's approach has made Apple’s products aesthetically pleasing and enduring. His redesign of iOS 7 in 2013 showcases simplicity, emphasizing clarity and accessibility. Despite being diagnosed with dyslexia, Ive's passion for industrial design and love for simplicity drove him to become a designer at Apple for 27 beautiful years. His departure in 2019 left an unforgettable mark on the company's design language. The iconic products, from the iMac to the iPhone, reflect not only technological advancements but also a commitment to simplicity and functionality. Ive's legacy extends beyond tangible designs to the iconic Apple Park headquarters, showcasing his influence on both products and physical spaces. Ultimately, Jony Ive's impact on Apple is a testament to his unwavering pursuit of innovation and excellence in the world of technology and design.
