It’s a quick tour inside Apple’s design studio, led by the genius Jony Ive. This studio is located on the ground floor of the second building in Apple’s campus on Infinite Loop. The studio is characterized by its tin windows and a heavy, locked door, reflecting the exclusivity of the space. Inside, there’s a small glass reception area with two assistant staff members, and even for senior Apple employees, entering the studio requires special permission. To the left of the entrance, you’ll find a group of desks where junior designers sit, and to the right, there’s a main room containing six long iron tables displaying designs still in the manufacturing process. Behind the main room is the design studio, which operates with computer assistance, filled with workstations leading to a room that transforms digital designs into foam models. Further back is a painting room, equipped with automated devices to make the models look real.
The space has an industrial feel, with silver-painted decorations and reflections of light and shadow from the trees outside playing on the tin windows. Soft techno and jazz music plays quietly in the studio, creating a calm atmosphere that fosters focus and creativity.
Steve and Jony: The Creative Partnership
Steve Jobs visited the studio almost every day when he was in good health. He would spend his time there having lunch with Jony Ive, then walking through the studio to see products still in the manufacturing line. He would feel the designs with his fingertips to gauge how well they aligned with the company’s strategy. Often, they did this alone, while the other designers observed from their desks.
When Jobs faced a particular challenge, he would call the head of mechanical design or another of Ive’s deputies. If something caught his eye or sparked an idea, he would ask Tim Cook, “Apple’s current CEO,” or marketing head “Phil Schiller” to join him.
Ive described this routine as follows:
“This wonderful room is the only place in the company where you can look around and see everything we rely on for our work. When Steve would come in, he’d sit at one of these tables, and if we were working on designing a new iPhone – for example – he might pick up a tool and start playing with different models, feeling them with his hands, and noting what he liked best. Then he’d walk along the other tables – with just me – to see where the other products were heading. He’d look over the company’s entire range: iPhone, iPad, iMac, MacBook, and everything we make. This helped him understand where the company was directing its energies and how things connected. He’d ask, ‘Does it make sense to do this, given that we’re focusing so much on this other thing?’ or something similar. He could see how things related, which is something that can be difficult in large companies. Looking at the models on the tables, he could see the future of the next three years.
Most of the design process was just discussions as we walked back and forth in the studio, circling the tables and playing with the models. He was right in doing so; I was amazed when we designed a model and then realized it was terrible, even though it looked great on the computer.
He loved coming here because it was quiet and pleasant. If you’re someone who enjoys relying on your sight, you’d find it like paradise. There were no formal design review processes, so no big decisions were made. The decisions were made verbally, and because we repeated this process every day without ever interrupting it, we never had major disagreements.”
On the Side
This post serves as a continuation of the “Jony Ive and the Apple of Creativity” posts, which I’ve compiled into one blog entry. So, if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend you do so immediately 🙂