45 Facts You Should Know About Apple Design Guru Jonathan Ive

45 things about the Chief Design Officer of one of the most valuable companies on earth.

27 May 2015, 2:34 pm EDT By Kamal

Jonathan Ive recently got a promotion at Apple and now he is Chief Design Officer at the company. Here're 45 things about him that you should know:

Jonathan Ive's full name is Sir Jonathan Paul Ive.
He is from Chingford, London, England.
He has been awarded Knighthood, one of the highest honors an individual in the United Kingdom can achieve.

In 2005, he was made Commander of the British Empire (CBE).
Ive is designer of many Apple products including MacBook Pro, iMac, MacBook Air, Mac mini, iPod, iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad, iPad Mini, Apple Watch and iOS.

He also leads Human Interface software teams at Apple.
Steve Jobs considered Ive to be his "spiritual partner."
Ive's father was a silversmith.
During high school years, Ive was passionate about cars and it was this interest that led to his career as a designer.
Ive, after graduation, explored courses offered in car design.
Ive studied industrial design at Newcastle Polytechnic and graduated with a first class Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989.
After graduation Ive joined London design agency Roberts Weaver group, which was also his college sponsor.
In his first encounter with Apple Mac, Ive was impressed by the intuitive mouse-driven system.
One year after working with Roberts Weaver Ive joined London startup design agency called Tangerine.
At Tangerine, he designed number of products, ranging from microwave ovens to toothbrushes.
He also designed a toilet, bidet and sink for client (which was later rejected as the client stated that products were too costly and looked too modern).
Ive was approached by Apple to join as a full-time employee while he was working at Tangerine, but he refused.
Ive joined Apple as a full-time employee finally in 1992.
Few of the first products designed by Ive, as an Apple employee include Newton and the MessagePad 110.
Ive was promoted to Senior Vice President of Industrial Design in 1997, after Jobs returned to Apple.
After Jobs return, he started with the iMac and then iPod, followed by iPhone and iPad.
Ive's works are heavily influenced by Dieter Rams, the chief designer at Braun from 1961 until 1995.
Ive is the only Apple designer with a private office.
He heads a core team of designers of 15 people.
The laboratory in which Ive works, is inaccessible by nearly everyone (including his children).
His office includes a rugby ball, a design poster that ends with the phrase "think about all the fucking possibilities," and a Banksy print of the Queen overlaid with the face of a chimp.
Unofficial biography of Ive is titled: Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products.
At Apple, Ive is only the third C-level executive after CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri.
Ive has also designed products for charitable organizations.
Ive designed a Leica camera for a charity auction that set a world record auction price for a camera. The camera was sold for $1.8m.
For RED, Ive collaborated with Marc Newson to design an aluminum desk.
Ive also collaborated with U2 frontman Bono to design and curate items for his (RED) charity auction, including a pair of solid rose gold Apple EarPods.
Ive loves techno music.
He has also designed a Jaeger-LeCoultre sports watch.
Ive helped J.J. Abrams design Star Wars' new lightsaber.
Ive has been named one of the top 100 innovators in the world under age 35.
He has been also awarded Design Museum's Designer of the Year.
GQ magazine has named him the Product Designer of the Year (2007).
Fast Company ranked Ive at No. 1 in the list of "100 Most Creative People in Business."
Guardian has named him "inventor of the Decade."
Ive owns more than 730 U.S. design and utility patents.
Ive married British writer and Historian Heather Pegg in 1987.
He has twin sons.
He considers Jobs as his 'closest friend.'