BBC reports that Apple's design chief Jonathan Ive was knighted today in Buckingham Palace, with Princess Anne performing the honors. Ive's knighthood was announced in December, but the official ceremony was not held until today.
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Ive's knighthood was accompanied by a rare extensive profile and interview with The Telegraph in which he shares details on his background and philosophy.
“All I’ve ever wanted to do is design and make; it’s what I love doing. It’s great if you can find what you love to do. Finding it is one thing but then to be able to practise that and be preoccupied with that is another,” he says. “I’m very aware of an incredible tradition in the UK of designing and making, and so to be recognised in this way is really wonderful.”
The humble Ive, who notably almost always uses "we" rather than "I" in discussion of Apple's design process, emphasizing the team aspect of the industrial design division's work, also discusses the care that Apple takes in designing every single aspect of each product.
“We’re keenly aware that when we develop and make something and bring it to market that it really does speak to a set of values. And what preoccupies us is that sense of care, and what our products will not speak to is a schedule, what our products will not speak to is trying to respond to some corporate or competitive agenda. We’re very genuinely designing the best products that we can for people.”
Asked which of his designs is most important to him and for which he would like to be remembered most, Ive notes that his team's current projects are "the most important and the best work we’ve done" but that he of course can't disclose details on that work.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)I thought the Queen knighted people?
She does, but she's currently camped outside the Covent Garden Apple Store waiting for the new MBPs to be released :p
From The Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/9283486/Jonathan-Ive-interview-Apples-design-genius-is-British-to-the-core.html)
"Ive has achieved an awful lot and still has a long career ahead of him. Even so, a knighthood is a good time to take stock. If he was to be remembered for just one of his Apple designs, I ask, which one would he pick?
There is the long pause. Its a really tough one. A lot does seem to come back to the fact that what were working on now feels like the most important and the best work weve done, and so it would be what were working on right now, which of course I cant tell you about.
Is it just me or does he look like the chubby boy from Willy Wonka in that picture? An older version...
It's just you.
I find this to be the most interesting quote of the article.
From The Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/9283486/Jonathan-Ive-interview-Apples-design-genius-is-British-to-the-core.html)
"Ive has achieved an awful lot and still has a long career ahead of him. Even so, a knighthood is a good time to take stock. If he was to be remembered for just one of his Apple designs, I ask, which one would he pick?
There is the long pause. Its a really tough one. A lot does seem to come back to the fact that what were working on now feels like the most important and the best work weve done, and so it would be what were working on right now, which of course I cant tell you about.
Creative persons will ALWAYS say that what they're working on right at that moment is the best work they've ever done.
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Didn't Tim Cook mention that 2012 was going to be a big year?
Did any CEO of any company ever say that the current year was not going to be a big year for the company?
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Congrats to Jony.
This. He's doing awesome work and deserves all the credit for it - including this well earned knighthood.