The Blue iMac

Discovering the wonderful world of design

In 2004, I walked into art class and discovered something truly beautiful. The object rested on my art teacher's desk and I’d never seen anything like it. In 7th grade, I didn’t have a clue what “design” was. All I knew was this computer was blue and I needed to investigate. When I asked Mr. Sparky where the rest of the computer was, I was shocked to learn it was all inside the monitor.

How was this possible? I needed to find out who had made this — and what do they know that the rest of us don’t? Later I’d learn that the person behind the design was none other than industrial designer, Jonathan Ive and that it had saved Apple. For Jony Ive, this marked the beginning of a golden age of design at Apple. And for me, discovering it sent me on a thrilling adventure into the wonderful world of designing for people. 

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I started taking electronics apart at age 9. It started with wanting to understand how remote control cars worked, and my appetite only grew more intense. By age 12, after a series of failures, I successfully assembled and booted up my first PC. But after seeing that blue iMac, I became less obsessed with PC things and more infatuated with Apple products. Every day, after school, I would open up my browser and type in apple.com, eagerly awaiting to see if anything new had arrived. I never missed an Apple Keynote or any video featuring Jony Ive. I was there for every launch absorbing everything I could.

At school, my grades began to suffer because I wasn’t interested in the material. I was distracted drawing up ideas for the future of Apple products. I’d fill my notebooks with sketches laying out the internal components. Unknowingly, those moments were my first baby steps toward design. For Jony Ive and Apple, 2005 was a big year. Iconic designs such as the Mac Mini, iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano were introduced. It was also a big year for me. I sold my first computer and used the profits to get an iPod. It arrived in a cube and I fell madly in love with it.

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During this era, there was an air of mystery around Apple products. But I found a community online of Apple fanatics who speculated on rumors. I followed channels like ThinkSecret and MacRumors with the greatest devotion. Soon rumors of a touch screen iPod were circulating. The rumors kept growing louder and louder. Then January 9th 2007 happened. I’ll always remember the iconic “Are you getting it? These are not three separate devices. This is one device.” My god, I thought, he’s done it again. Of course, by now I know that a product of this class is made by a team of people. But back then I could only see Steve Jobs and Jony Ive. What did they know that I didn’t and how could I learn to do what they do?

Two years later, as a junior in high school I came across a pivotal clue. A new documentary about industrial design was coming out called Objectified. It featured interviews with designers from across industries discussing their philosophy and process. But between us, I was watching mainly to hear what Jony Ive had to say. I was eager to uncover more clues about his way of thinking. The impact his words had on me was immediate. What I wanted to do with my life became crystal clear.

In 2012, I left my hometown to study Industrial Design at SCAD. There, I was introduced to the design process and what it takes to bring ideas to life. After 3 years, I took a break from school and went on a crazy adventure across the Atlantic Ocean. I was moving to Copenhagen to work at a boutique industrial design studio. There, I would work on chairs, lamps, and headphones. I was living the dream. During my time in Denmark I discovered how thoughtful design can influence everyday society at large. I could sense that design was much more than pleasing aesthetics, effective utility, and good business — it could also be a love language.

In Copenhagen, the front train car features a large window. Unlike the New York City Metro, the walls feature no ads or notices with threats discouraging bad behavior. One evening after work, I noticed a child at the front of the train playing and smiling at their parents. People were smiling and looking over and naturally I did the same. There was a sticker featuring a dashboard of train controls. The child’s reaction was giving us all a moment of joy. At lunch the next day, I mentioned the event to my boss. He asked me why I thought the train engineers placed it there. I shared theories, but he shook his head and said “No, they did it because they cared.” That conversation unlocked another dimension of understanding for me. Great design is the result of caring so deeply about the details that the design becomes invisible.

In 2019, Jony Ive left Apple to start a new design firm called LoveFrom,. And continues producing beautiful work rooted in the same principles that inspired me before. So much has changed in the 20 years since I saw that blue iMac. But I’m still driven by the same curiosity and fascination with human ingenuity. Now, as a designer living in New York City, I continue to believe in the power of designing with care and that beautiful things like that blue iMac or that train sticker come from a similar place. They spring from conversations between people who really care and build things with love and a furious devotion to serving Humanity.⚜️