When something's made in the smallest volume - as a one-off couture piece - or in large quantities, deep care is critical to determine authentic, successful design and, ultimately, manufacture.
Apple's Industrial Design team is harder to get into than the Illuminati, and part of the reason is because no one leaves. In the last 15 years, not one of the 18 designers has ditched Apple for greener pastures.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The exclusivity and loyalty of Apple's Industrial Design team is unparalleled, suggesting a strong culture and commitment among its members.
In this quote, Jonathan Ive highlights the remarkable loyalty and dedication within Apple's Industrial Design team, comparing it to the secrecy and exclusivity of the Illuminati. The statement emphasizes not only the difficulty of joining such a prestigious team but also the fact that once individuals are part of it, they rarely leave, indicating a unique organizational culture that fosters commitment and satisfaction among its designers.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a presentation on corporate culture, you might quote this to illustrate the importance of team loyalty.
More from Jonathan Ive
All quotes →I find that when I write, I need things to be quiet, but when I design, I can't bear it if it's quiet.
I'm always focussed on the actual work, and I think that's a much more succinct way to describe what you care about than any speech I could ever make.
One of the hallmarks of the team is this sense of looking to be wrong. It's the inquisitiveness, and sense of exploration. It's about being excited to be wrong, because then you've discovered something new.
We say no to a lot of things so we can invest an incredible amount of care on what we do.
Goal we've always had for design at Apple is to create solutions that are inevitable.
Similar quotes
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Our growing ability to eliminate the slow-moving aspects of entertainment and go hopping from one peak to another is not without cost. Stand-up comics, movie-makers and others who earn their living entertaining no longer "waste" time with setups and plot development, lest we reach for the remote and click them off our screen. The result is a loss of subtlety, anticipation and nuance and, in the process, a coarsening of our discourse.
We are all now connected by the Internet, like neurons in a giant brain.
I've been very passionate about renewable energy for many years, particularly solar energy and its capacity to bring abundant clean, sustainable energy to millions around the globe.
My number one piece of advice is: you should learn how to program.
The problem with the Internet is that it gives you everything - reliable material and crazy material. So the problem becomes, how do you discriminate?