How Steve Jobs Changed the Design Industry
October 13th, 2011 by JenniferW
It was a shock to the whole world when Steve Jobs had passed away. As a designer all I could say was “What will the world be without him?”. His ideas revolutionized the world and especially revolutionized my industry. I remember when they came up with the “I am a Mac, and I am a PC” commercial and soon everyone was copying it.
Steve jobs helped bring art into technology and blended it so well. That through good design, your products and company can really grow.
On NPR, Lynn Neary interviews John Madea, the president of the Rhode Island School of Design, about Steve Jobs and his impact on design and technology. I pulled out a section from that interview that really impacted me.
NEARY: It’s almost as if for many people the technology followed their interest in the design. They were more interested in the way it looked, and that appealed to them as a consumer, and then they discovered the technology after that.
MAEDA: Exactly. Because technology is driven by mathematics. Think about STEM subjects in America – science, technology, engineering and math – S-T-E-M. I think Steve Jobs showed us we can add art to STEM, turn STEM into STEAM.
NEARY: Why did he think design was so important? I mean, he was very insightful about that.
MAEDA: It’s clear that he understand that technology alone could not be something you wanted to live with. Think about all the MP3 players, the digital music players, that were out for a long time. There were roughly 12 or so of them. And nobody wanted a digital music player until he and his team saw how the iPod isn’t just a music player, it’s a way to experience music, to live with it, to purchase it, to honor it, to own it. He made it into an emotional experience. And that’s what design is about.
In the end, Steve Jobs influenced graphic design more than some people might realize. He really brought forth the idea that good design can lead to great things.
If you would like to read the whole interview, you can find it here.
For your viewing pleasure, here are some links to some of the best Apple commercials.