[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qEduiVbW1c[/youtube]
Jony Ive is the genius behind the design of Apple products, he is the man thanks to whom the devices of the Cupertino company look so good and he is the man we have to thank because we are holding such a well-made iPhone in our hands. Jony Ive has a design studio within Apple, the studio is located on the ground floor of the building where the company's headquarters are located, but everything is guarded as if Apple's most valuable secrets are hidden there. The windows of the room are covered with black foil, access is restricted for almost everyone, even some members of the company management needing Ive's permission to enter.
The design studio where Jony Ive reigns, on the ground floor of Two Infinite Loop on the Apple campus, is shielded by tinted windows and a heavily clad, locked door. Just inside is a glass-booth reception desk where two assistants guard access. Even the high-level Apple employees are not allowed in without special permission.
Steve Jobs placed Jony Ive in an autonomous position compared to the other vice-presidents, he being one of the people who answers only to the CEO and to no one else. This preferential treatment helped Ive to make some of the most "beautiful" products on the market and everything is due to Steve Jobs who was always present in the design studio. Jobs would come and supervise the work that Ive and his engineers were doing, Jobs would test the products and think about how he would integrate them into the long-term strategy of his company.
"This great room is one place in the company where you can look around and see everything we have in the works. When Steve comes in, we will sit at one of these tables. If we're working on a new iPhone, for example, he might grab a stool and start playing with different models and feeling them in his hands, remarking on which ones he likes the best. Looking at the models on these tables, he can see the future for the next three years.
More about Ive's philosophy and everything that happens in his studio find here along with some extracts from the biography of Steve Jobs.
