Sir Jonathan Ive

Sir

Jonathan Ive

Sir

Jonathan Ive

“To design something really new and innovative you have to reject reason.”


“To design something really new and innovative you have to reject reason.”

Explore Jonathan Ive’s design evolution highlighting his most influential creations, exploring the impacts on design, and his life milestones, throughout his illustrious career.

Explore Jonathan Ive’s design evolution highlighting his most influential creations, exploring the impacts on design, and his life milestones, throughout his illustrious career.

Explore Jonathan Ive’s design evolution highlighting his most influential creations, exploring the impacts on design, and his life milestones, throughout his illustrious career.

Sir Jonathan Ive has allowed the world to connect through his designs especially being a designer at Apple. Ive hoped to design products that would change how society lives, little did we know that his designs transformed how we live.


Jony Ive has experience in architecture, product design and industrial design, which allowed him to become the most influential designer of the last two decades. (Hopkins and Hopkins, 2022)



Sir Jonathan Ive has allowed the world to connect through his designs especially being a designer at Apple. Ive hoped to design products that would change how society lives, little did we know that his designs transformed how we live.


Jony Ive has experience in architecture, product design and industrial design, which allowed him to become the most influential designer of the last two decades. (Hopkins and Hopkins, 2022)

Sir Jonathan Ive has allowed the world to connect through his designs especially being a designer at Apple. Ive hoped to design products that would change how society lives, little did we know that his designs transformed how we live.


Jony Ive has experience in architecture, product design and industrial design, which allowed him to become the most influential designer of the last two decades. (Hopkins and Hopkins, 2022)

Most

Influential Designer

of the last two decades


Most

Influential Designer

of the last two decades

Jony Ive’s

Early Life


Jony Ive’s

Early Life

Jony Ive’s

Early Life

Jony Ive’s

Early Life



Jony Ive was born on 27th February 1967 in England. Jonathan was introduced to design from an early age as his dad was a craftsman focusing on woodwork and silversmithing this showed Ive that he could use simple materials allowing him to turn them into something useful (Kunkel, 1997). During the early stages of his studies, Ive attended Walton High School allowing him to study the subject areas of sculpture and chemistry, when in school he was diagnosed with dyslexia, which posed many challenges in Ive's life, but this did not hold him back, using his creativity he was able to overcome these challenges creating many successful products. (Jonathan Ive – dyslexic genius, 2016)





Jony Ive was born on 27th February 1967 in England. Jonathan was introduced to design from an early age as his dad was a craftsman focusing on woodwork and silversmithing this showed Ive that he could use simple materials allowing him to turn them into something useful (Kunkel, 1997). During the early stages of his studies, Ive attended Walton High School allowing him to study the subject areas of sculpture and chemistry, when in school he was diagnosed with dyslexia, which posed many challenges in Ive's life, but this did not hold him back, using his creativity he was able to overcome these challenges creating many successful products. (Jonathan Ive – dyslexic genius, 2016)



“Jonathan Ive has been able to overcome the challenges posed by dyslexia to become monumentally successful as a crucial part of the design team at Apple.

“Jonathan Ive has been able to overcome the challenges posed by dyslexia to become monumentally successful as a crucial part of the design team at Apple.

- (The Power,2016)

- (The Power,2016)

- (The Power,2016)

Ive later studied industrial design at Newcastle Polytechnic where he was heavily inspired by the Bauhaus and the themes of simplicity and functionality which is seen in his designs at Apple (Arn, 2019). While studying, his designs of a telephone and a hearing aid were exhibited at the London Design Museum. In 1989 Jony Ive graduated with a first-class BA which fast-tracked his career. After graduating, Jony Ive interned at Roberts Weaver Group, a product design agency where he explored the attention to detail in his designs, which impressed many executives.

Ive later studied industrial design at Newcastle Polytechnic where he was heavily inspired by the Bauhaus and the themes of simplicity and functionality which is seen in his designs at Apple (Arn, 2019). While studying, his designs of a telephone and a hearing aid were exhibited at the London Design Museum. In 1989 Jony Ive graduated with a first-class BA which fast-tracked his career. After graduating, Jony Ive interned at Roberts Weaver Group, a product design agency where he explored the attention to detail in his designs, which impressed many executives.

This led to Ive joining an industrial group called Tangerine, a London start-up design agency, where he created many products including microwaves, drills, and toothbrushes. But during this job, the boss rejected many of his designs including the toilet seat as they cost too much and were too modern. but when Apple became a client of this business, they looked at the first designs of the PowerBank that Ive designed in 1990 - 1992. Below you can see Clive Grinyer, Peter Phillips, Martin Darbyshire and Jonathan Ive who were all designers at Tangerine in Hoxton in 1990 (Tangerine 2022).

This led to Ive joining an industrial group called Tangerine, a London start-up design agency, where he created many products including microwaves, drills, and toothbrushes. But during this job, the boss rejected many of his designs including the toilet seat as they cost too much and were too modern. but when Apple became a client of this business, they looked at the first designs of the PowerBank that Ive designed in 1990 - 1992. Below you can see Clive Grinyer, Peter Phillips, Martin Darbyshire and Jonathan Ive who were all designers at Tangerine in Hoxton in 1990 (Tangerine 2022).

Life At

Life At

Life At

Apple

Apple

Apple

Apple

After working at Tangerine and completing the Apple project, which was a transforming project, Jony Ive moved to Apple in September 1992 becoming a full-time employee in California, as Apple's environment was supportive of his ideas and designs (Kunkel, 1997). The first project of his career at Apple was the 2nd gen of the MessagePad 110 but sales failed in the 1990s. The first major design that Ive created at Apple was the iMac, this design was revolutionary for the time, as it used a blue-coloured translucent shell, an all-in-one machine. This iMac was also released in ten different colours, which became the signature style of Apple for the next couple of years, such as the creation of the iBook G3 1999, as it similarly used the coloured shell which used USB not legacy interfaces, this design also included a built-in keyboard which can be seen in the modern-day products.

After working at Tangerine and completing the Apple project, which was a transforming project, Jony Ive moved to Apple in September 1992 becoming a full-time employee in California, as Apple's environment was supportive of his ideas and designs (Kunkel, 1997). The first project of his career at Apple was the 2nd gen of the MessagePad 110 but sales failed in the 1990s. The first major design that Ive created at Apple was the iMac, this design was revolutionary for the time, as it used a blue-coloured translucent shell, an all-in-one machine. This iMac was also released in ten different colours, which became the signature style of Apple for the next couple of years, such as the creation of the iBook G3 1999, as it similarly used the coloured shell which used USB not legacy interfaces, this design also included a built-in keyboard which can be seen in the modern-day products.

Moving away from the fun and bright style of the iMac and iBook g3 the creation of the iPod in 2001 revolutionised the market for digital music players as it was designed to have a simple design of 5 buttons and a scrolling button to control the music settings. This iPod was very simple because of the use of plain black and white which reflected the designs of the Bauhaus as it focused on the functionality of the products, allowing it to be a main market for the music industry. The creation of the iPod set the stage for the design update for the iMac G4 in 2002, the appearance of this Mac was different to his other designs at Apple it hid all of the computer's hardware on a semi-circle base with a screen attached to the top which could be turned to meet the requirements of the user.

Moving away from the fun and bright style of the iMac and iBook g3 the creation of the iPod in 2001 revolutionised the market for digital music players as it was designed to have a simple design of 5 buttons and a scrolling button to control the music settings. This iPod was very simple because of the use of plain black and white which reflected the designs of the Bauhaus as it focused on the functionality of the products, allowing it to be a main market for the music industry. The creation of the iPod set the stage for the design update for the iMac G4 in 2002, the appearance of this Mac was different to his other designs at Apple it hid all of the computer's hardware on a semi-circle base with a screen attached to the top which could be turned to meet the requirements of the user.



The iPhone allowed the evolution of apps on the main screen of the iPhone such as Safari which allowed users to access the internet. The iPhone is still the most-sold product of Apple since 2008 and created 50% of the revenue (Shvartsman, 2023). Jony Ive later created new versions of the iPhone which included all iPhones up to the iPhone X. For the design of the iPhone X in 2017, which included a smaller notch at the top to hold the speakers and the camera, the screen extends to the whole screen rather than just having the home button, the iPhone X removes the home button and has sensors for face id and motion sensors. The iPhone x is the first iPhone to be designed with two vertical cameras rather than horizontal which can be seen in the designs now.


The iPhone allowed the evolution of apps on the main screen of the iPhone such as Safari which allowed users to access the internet. The iPhone is still the most-sold product of Apple since 2008 and created 50% of the revenue (Shvartsman, 2023). Jony Ive later created new versions of the iPhone which included all iPhones up to the iPhone X. For the design of the iPhone X in 2017, which included a smaller notch at the top to hold the speakers and the camera, the screen extends to the whole screen rather than just having the home button, the iPhone X removes the home button and has sensors for face id and motion sensors. The iPhone x is the first iPhone to be designed with two vertical cameras rather than horizontal which can be seen in the designs now.


The iPhone allowed the evolution of apps on the main screen of the iPhone such as Safari which allowed users to access the internet. The iPhone is still the most-sold product of Apple since 2008 and created 50% of the revenue (Shvartsman, 2023). Jony Ive later created new versions of the iPhone which included all iPhones up to the iPhone X. For the design of the iPhone X in 2017, which included a smaller notch at the top to hold the speakers and the camera, the screen extends to the whole screen rather than just having the home button, the iPhone X removes the home button and has sensors for face id and motion sensors. The iPhone x is the first iPhone to be designed with two vertical cameras rather than horizontal which can be seen in the designs now.


“Make the very best product”

- Sir Jonathan Ive interview (Gibbs, 2017)



“Make the very best product”

- Sir Jonathan Ive interview (Gibbs, 2017)


The iPhone was announced in 2007 by Steve Jobs. Jony Ive was the main designer of the form factor of the first-generation iPhone, this meant that the shape, size and style of the iPhone were designed by Jony Ive. Ive also created the main components of the phone which included the screen, sensors, audio output, battery, and cameras. The iPhone design was so significant as it removed the physical keyboard and replaced it with one home button on the front of the phone it was one of the first to add a multitouch screen which allowed the surface to recognise pressure on the surface.

The iPhone was announced in 2007 by Steve Jobs. Jony Ive was the main designer of the form factor of the first-generation iPhone, this meant that the shape, size and style of the iPhone were designed by Jony Ive. Ive also created the main components of the phone which included the screen, sensors, audio output, battery, and cameras. The iPhone design was so significant as it removed the physical keyboard and replaced it with one home button on the front of the phone it was one of the first to add a multitouch screen which allowed the surface to recognise pressure on the surface.


iPad

created in 2010


Jony Ive introduced the world to the iPad in 2010, after the release of the iPhone they took all the aspects of the success of the iPhone to create a larger multitouch screen. They redesigned all the apps to enable them to fit the iPad screen size. It was specifically made to remove the keyboard and the pointer of the iMac so that surfing the web and sending emails was easier and faster for the user. The user interface was built for the touch. The iPad was described as changing the way that we do things by having the iPad have no specific orientations so the user can have the iPad fit them.

Jony Ive introduced the world to the iPad in 2010, after the release of the iPhone they took all the aspects of the success of the iPhone to create a larger multitouch screen. They redesigned all the apps to enable them to fit the iPad screen size. It was specifically made to remove the keyboard and the pointer of the iMac so that surfing the web and sending emails was easier and faster for the user. The user interface was built for the touch. The iPad was described as changing the way that we do things by having the iPad have no specific orientations so the user can have the iPad fit them.

The design team created apps specifically for the iPad which included the calendar app which had never been seen on a computer they also created the iBook which is an eBook platform to download and purchase books. When introducing the iPad Jony Ive stated, "It's hard to see how something so simple, so thin and so light could be so capable”, - Jonathan Ive Article (Manthorpe, 2019) which shows the design ideas of Ive and his many more ideas to come for the iPads which included buttons being removed and also the headphone jack was removed.

The design team created apps specifically for the iPad which included the calendar app which had never been seen on a computer they also created the iBook which is an eBook platform to download and purchase books. When introducing the iPad Jony Ive stated, "It's hard to see how something so simple, so thin and so light could be so capable”, - Jonathan Ive Article (Manthorpe, 2019) which shows the design ideas of Ive and his many more ideas to come for the iPads which included buttons being removed and also the headphone jack was removed


.

The design team created apps specifically for the iPad which included the calendar app which had never been seen on a computer they also created the iBook which is an eBook platform to download and purchase books. When introducing the iPad Jony Ive stated, "It's hard to see how something so simple, so thin and so light could be so capable”, - Jonathan Ive Article (Manthorpe, 2019) which shows the design ideas of Ive and his many more ideas to come for the iPads which included buttons being removed and also the headphone jack was removed

Another revolutionary design that was created by Jony Ive was the Apple Watch which found the target audience with the health and fitness category. This wearable technology was released in 2015 to allow the technology to become more personal by having detachable wristbands and personalised watch faces. Another important design is the MacBook which was created in 2006 but the redesign of the all-metal MacBook in 2015 simplified the components by adding a full-size keyboard and retina screen. This design is thin and light which can be referenced to the iPad design. This design has been described as the new notebook.

Another revolutionary design that was created by Jony Ive was the Apple Watch which found the target audience with the health and fitness category. This wearable technology was released in 2015 to allow the technology to become more personal by having detachable wristbands and personalised watch faces. Another important design is the MacBook which was created in 2006 but the redesign of the all-metal MacBook in 2015 simplified the components by adding a full-size keyboard and retina screen. This design is thin and light which can be referenced to the iPad design. This design has been described as the new notebook.

Jony Ive and Marc Newson

Jony Ive and Marc Newson

LoveFrom

LoveFrom

LoveFrom

Jony Ive left Apple in 2019 and he pursued a new design firm called LoveFrom. It was co-founded by Jony Ive and Marc Newson. Ive and the design team created a signature typeface which he has been perfecting for the past 4 years. This typeface is called LoveFrom Serif which is a serif typeface and has become a representation of the firm. The typeface appeared on the Terra Carta seal and Charter and King Charles III's coronation emblem. The most recent project the typeface has been used on is the headline and body of the book Make Something Wonderful, which is a combination of Steve Jobs’s words and speeches.

Jony Ive left Apple in 2019 and he pursued a new design firm called LoveFrom. It was co-founded by Jony Ive and Marc Newson. Ive and the design team created a signature typeface which he has been perfecting for the past 4 years. This typeface is called LoveFrom Serif which is a serif typeface and has become a representation of the firm. The typeface appeared on the Terra Carta seal and Charter and King Charles III's coronation emblem. The most recent project the typeface has been used on is the headline and body of the book Make Something Wonderful, which is a combination of Steve Jobs’s words and speeches.

The typeface foreshadows the design philosophies of Ive and Newson. They took inspiration from Times New Roman, Apples San Francisco and Helvetica. He combined these to create a natural typeface (Wilson, 2023). Jony Ive also designed the 2023 Red Nose Day nose from plant-based material and a modernist design which is a small flat semicircle which transforms into a sphere with a honeycomb pattern. This nose helped raise £42 million for Comic Relief. (Warren, 2023)

The typeface foreshadows the design philosophies of Ive and Newson. They took inspiration from Times New Roman, Apples San Francisco and Helvetica. He combined these to create a natural typeface (Wilson, 2023). Jony Ive also designed the 2023 Red Nose Day nose from plant-based material and a modernist design which is a small flat semicircle which transforms into a sphere with a honeycomb pattern. This nose helped raise £42 million for Comic Relief. (Warren, 2023)

Jony Ive, as we have seen, is one of the most important and influential designers in this design era, providing designs that we use and see to this day. Ive has changed the way we go about our lives and connect with other people, especially with the design of the iPhone. From touchscreen interfaces to the addition of motion sensors, we can see how Jony Ive has adapted the technological industry to be more user-friendly. Jonathan’s biggest milestone was the design of the iPhone which is the most successful product to this day.

Jony Ive, as we have seen, is one of the most important and influential designers in this design era, providing designs that we use and see to this day. Ive has changed the way we go about our lives and connect with other people, especially with the design of the iPhone. From touchscreen interfaces to the addition of motion sensors, we can see how Jony Ive has adapted the technological industry to be more user-friendly. Jonathan’s biggest milestone was the design of the iPhone which is the most successful product to this day.

Bibliography

Bibliography

Bibliography

Arn, J. (2019) How Jony Ive Remade Visual Culture in Apple’s Image. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-jony-remade-visual-culture-apples-image (Accessed: December 12, 2023).


Hopkins, O. and Hopkins, O. (2022) '‘Jony Ive’s legacy as the most important designer of the last two decades is assured,’' Dezeen, 8 February. https://www.dezeen.com/2019/06/28/jony-ive-legacy-apple-head-designer/.


Jonathan Ive – dyslexic genius (2016). https://www.learningsuccessblog.com/blog/dyslexia/jonathan-ive-%E2%80%93-dyslexic-genius.


Jony Ive, Apple designer who started career at tangerine, sets up studio (2022). https://tangerine.net/thoughts/jony-ive-apple-designer-started-career-tangerine-set-studio.


Kunkel, P. (1997) AppleDesign: The Work of the Apple Industrial Design Group. Back Stage Books.


Manthorpe, R. (2019) 'Jony Ive leaves Apple: How the innovative designer changed the face of tech,' Sky News, 28 June. https://news.sky.com/story/jony-ive-leaves-apple-how-the-innovative-designer-changed-the-face-of-tech-11750708.


MrBaseSixtyFour (2010) Apple iPad launch video introduced by Jony Ive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l6gXMi_ht8(Accessed: December 12, 2023).


Shvartsman, D. (2023) Apple Inc.: Our Modern-Day symbol of knowledge, power, and wealth. https://www.investing.com/academy/statistics/apple-facts/#:~:text=As%20Apple%27s%20most%20popular%20and,50%25%20of%20the%20company%27s%20revenue.

Tangerine alumnus Jony Ive becomes Chief Design Officer at Apple (2022a). https://tangerine.net/thoughts/tangerine-alum-jony-ive-becomes-chief-design-officer-at-apple.


Tangerine alumnus Jony Ive becomes Chief Design Officer at Apple (2022b). https://tangerine.net/thoughts/tangerine-alum-jony-ive-becomes-chief-design-officer-at-apple.


Warren, T. (2023) 'Jony Ive has designed a ‘magically transforming’ Red Nose,' The Verge, 1 February. https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/1/23580937/red-nose-day-jony-ive-red-nose-comic-relief.


Wilson, M. (2023) Jony-ive-spent-the-last-4-years-perfecting-his-typeface. https://www.fastcompany.com/90888571/jony-ive-spent-the-last-4-years-perfecting-his-typeface-heres-why-hell-never-be-done (Accessed: December 20, 2023).


Gibbs, S. (2017) 'Nine things we learned about Apple from Jonathan Ive’s latest interview,' The Guardian, 21 February. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/17/apple-jony-ive-tim-cook?fbclid=IwAR01x4DMDuz5fYiGXoYhoPRCjEbpO0_4y06CBKs5WlDUpr2eOrLP3JVwVag_aem_ARsNHsBEqMLfG7qw_LDdUjQ4yOcAW6wOodNQ6W0n2h3AjJbgdFvff0e2LM12wT08mM8.


Ravenscroft, T. and Ravenscroft, T. (2019) 'Jony Ive’s 10 most revolutionary designs for Apple,' Dezeen, 1 July. https://www.dezeen.com/2019/06/28/jony-ive-designs-apple-imac-ipod-iphone/.

Bibliography