Apple's Jony Ive
Jonathan Ive can look at a sunflower and see a computer. That’s why I’m excited to hear that Apple has given more responsibility to its chief designer. The announcement takes place in the context of a major executive shakeup. This week Apple announced that Scott Forstall, head of iOS software, and John Browett, the recently appointed head of retail, are both out. Ive gets a bigger role. According to Apple, “Jony Ive will provide leadership and direction for Human Interface (HI) across the company in addition to his longtime role as the leader of industrial design.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook called Ive “the driving force between the look and feel of our products.” He’s right. If you own an iMac, iPod, MacBook, iPhone, or iPad, it’s likely that Ive’s fingerprints are all over that product. He worked with Steve Jobs for nearly fifteen years and shared his design aesthetic. I wrote this column last year in which I urged Apple to “give us more Jony” because he informs, illuminates, and inspires.
As a communications coach who believes Steve Jobs was the world’s greatest business storyteller, I’ve always hoped that someone would take the stage at Apple who can match Jobs in passion and charisma. Tim Cook is an operational genius, a skilled speaker, and passionate communicator. Ive brings the same passion to design. He’s capable of grabbing your imagination and making you think about products in entirely new ways.
Ive appears in corporate videos to promote Apple products, but he rarely appears live. Although I have only seen him a few times, he impressed me as one of the most interesting people I have ever seen on a corporate stage. He’s reclusive and rarely gives interviews, but he’s incredibly passionate about Apple. The British-born designer remembers his first experience with a Mac as a “profound moment” because the computer was so simple to use he didn't need to consult a manual. Ive has brought that sense of simplicity to the devices used by millions of people around the world. In this tribute to Steve Jobs in 2011, Ive said, “We shared a giddy excitement working for months and months on a part of a product that nobody would ever see with their eyes. But we did it because we really believed that it was right. Because we cared.”
Ive cares. He cares about design and he cares about the people who use his products. I hope we hear more from him.
Carmine Gallo is the communications coach for the world’s most admired brands. He is a popular keynote speaker and author of several books, including the international bestsellers The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs and The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs. His new book, The Apple Experience, is the first book to reveal the secrets behind the stunning success of the Apple Retail Store. Carmine has recently launched an eLearning course titled, The New Rules of Persuasive Presentations. Follow Carmine on Facebook or Twitter.
