Steve Jobs and Design: The Only 4 Takeaways You Need From Apple, the World’s Most Valuable Tech Company 

 

A lot of people agree that Steve Jobs was ahead of his time. But what about him was ahead of his time, really?

 

His thinking and attitude. Steve Jobs embodied his life philosophy and applied it to his work in design, user experience, and advertising. 

 

Steve Jobs believed in a lot of great things— like how passion drives success until the end, the importance of inquisitiveness and asking questions, of being open to listening to new ideas, of not being afraid to take risks and stand out, of working hard and striving to do better all the time. If you look closely, these philosophies underlie Apple, the company Steve Jobs helped grow tremendously. 

 

If you look even more closely, these philosophies could very easily underlie your brand too. For example, without passion, you’ll be less motivated to problem solve and without inquisitiveness and an openness to unheard of-ideas, progress halts. And without an intense desire to continuously do better, it’ll be harder to get where you want to be.

 

What else did Steve Jobs think about design and marketing? Scroll down to see how you can do your marketing like Apple.

 

#1 Quality First

Apple’s marketing strategy had always been focused on the product itself. Before the product could represent something, it had to have real value in itself first.

 

This “quality first” approach to marketing is reflected in Steve Jobs passion for product development and his focus on user experience.

 

One very significant aspect of user experience is how people feel when interacting with computers, and Jobs took this seriously. Jobs thought that the design of Apple’s products are just as important as the software they contain because people are less likely to feel frustrated with better design.

 

That’s why he approached both design and product development as if they were two sides of the same coin—he believed that you couldn’t have a great product without great design, and vice versa. Of course we all know Apple’s products don’t just look good; they actually are good too.

 

So at the end of the day, at Apple, everything mattered: from product development to product design. The takeaway here is that to be an awesome company, you have no choice but to work hard at making a quality product that also looks good. So work hard on improving your product itself—how it functions and looks—before embarking on any marketing strategy because your product should be able to speak for itself.

 

#2 Be Clear About Brand Design

Steve Jobs was super clear about how he wanted Apple products to look. But how did he achieve such clarity?

 

Research. Jobs sought inspiration from multiple sources: Germany’s Bauhaus movement (white amongst other colors), Joseph Eichler’s modern architecture (minimalism, neat lines, large glass panels for skylight to filter through), and even Cuisinart kitchen appliances (curves, lines, bevels, and color). In fact, Steve Jobs once instructed his team to get a Cuisinart appliance and repair the design of the Macintosh II based on it. 

 

How did Steve Jobs learn about Joseph Eichler? His childhood home happened to be one of the few houses designed by Eichler. Jobs thus grew up subconsciously embracing concepts such as minimalism and functionalism, which positively influenced his design philosophy at Apple. 

 

Moreover, to Steve Jobs, design should be simple and reflect the purpose of the product— for his work in objects such as computers, it meant that design should appear friendly to users to make the human-computer interaction more pleasurable, as evidenced by Apple’s neutral grey color, curvier edges, sleek laptops and iPods, and lightweight keyboards. In other words, hardware (external design) and software (inner workings and function) must complement each other— it was his practice of Zen Buddhism that gave him this idea because just as hardware and software in computers affect each other, our body and mind affect each other.

 

There are a couple of takeaways here: 

 

• Firstly, ask yourself how the design of your product reflects its purpose. 
• Secondly, choose clear designs and minimalism if you intend for your brand to depict openness, neatness, and simplicity. 
• Thirdly, when designing, obtain design inspiration from any object around you and be open to fresh, unheard of ideas from other fields, such as how Steve Jobs borrowed the Buddhist idea of cause-and-effect/mind-and-body as a goal for Apple’s computers and gadgets.
• Fourthly, in order to stand out and become iconic, your brand has to represent the spirit of a specific culture and era. For example, if you’re selling fruit juice, your brand could embody the desire for a healthy lifestyle amidst a busy and stressful schedule and communicate that such is possible— by accepting what your brand is offering, of course. When you tell your target audience that their needs for affordable, on-the-go nourishment will be met by your brand, you’re representing the need and spirit of the health-food culture in an era where many folks have packed schedules.
• Fifthly, ask yourself what you’re doing to improve people’s experience of using your product?

 

#3 Values Above Everything

You might have heard this time and time again but brand values leave a huge impression on your potential customers. People want to know what you stand for and what you truly believe in and support.

 

While he was still alive, Steve Jobs made sure Apple represented the voice of people who are passionate about making a positive impact in the world. In other words, anyone who wants to be somebody should get a MacBook or an iPhone. In addition, he wanted Apple to convey the message that everyone can make a difference.

 

That’s where Apple comes in: to help everyone make a difference, Apple builds products that they believe in.

 

By showing support for people’s values, Steve Jobs reminded people that unlike other tech brands, Apple cares about their individualistic desire to stand out and do courageous things that will change the world.

 

Takeaway: when you show support towards your target audience, such as support for what they believe in and desire, you stand a higher chance of being remembered and of standing out among other brands.

 

#4 Communicate Your Values Well

Communicating your values well is just as necessary as developing your brand values. Like Apple, you can do this by maintaining a consistent message across all your social media accounts, website, emails, and advertisements. 

 

Additionally, you can do what Steve Jobs always did— how often do you see a leader come out in public to talk about the product they themselves helped to develop and design? Not to mention a leader who also mastered the art of public speaking! 

 

The takeaway here is that you have to speak clearly about your brand and what it offers and believes in. That’s what Steve Jobs did; not just through ads, but in person.

 

Pro-tip: You could compare your values to your competitors’, like how Apple puts itself above Microsoft to reinforce their better values.

 

Conclusion

Apple founder Steve Jobs was an intense idea-to-action perfectionist who was fully possessed by his aim to improve the lives of people (including his employees) through building a lasting endeavor that offers only the best products in terms of both function and design. His passion for perfection, resourcefulness when it comes to design, impactful values, and communication skills put not just him above the rest, but Apple too: As of 2019, Apple was valued at 1.3 Trillion US dollars. 

 

And the good news is that it’s possible for any brand to get to where Apple is. Keep learning, working towards improving your product, and applying your values in everything your brand decides to do.

 

Steve Jobs used to say: “Don’t wait for greatness, make it”. Today, ask yourself what your brand could do but hasn’t yet done yet and start experimenting.

 

While you’re improving your product’s function and design, let us design your landing pages, logo, advertisements, packaging, business cards, and brochures. We work in a tight-knit group where everyone trusts each other and is as passionate as Steve Jobs about design and communicating brand values. Our teamwork spirit also allows fresh ideas to be bounced off more easily than bigger agencies, so you could say we’re a group of easily-inspired folks. Most of all, we’re talented people who take our jobs seriously and care a lot about amplifying every brand’s story.

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