The Apple cult leaves no one indifferent, and it is worth acknowledging the truth: one of the defining factors behind the popularity of Apple is its distinctive design. The book Designed by Apple in California vividly demonstrates that its designers treat their products as works of art.
Cupertino, California — On 16 November, Apple announced the release of a new hardcover book titled Designed by Apple in California. Two decades of design innovation are captured across 450 photographs of the company's past and present products, spanning from the iMac (1998) to the Apple Pencil (2015). The book was eight years in the making and is dedicated to the memory of Steve Jobs.
"The idea of making something meaningful for humanity motivated Steve from the very beginning — that idea is our ideal and the goal with which Apple moves into the future," says Jony Ive.
Designed by Apple in California is the result of close collaboration among many groups of designers and specialists from entirely different fields. What unites them all is the hope that the book will help people understand how and why Apple's products are made and exist. All photographs were taken by Andrew Zuckerman using a technique he describes as a "deliberately modest style." The images illuminate the details of the design process just as effectively as the finished products themselves.
This is a book about design, yet it is not about the designers themselves, the creative process, or product development. It offers an objective reflection of the style, aesthetic, and philosophy of Apple's design. Many of the products feel so self-evident, simple, and logical that they seem to have no reasonable alternative. Even the tools used to make each device have been given considered design attention.
"As designers, we live in the future, we love what we have already made, and we are obsessed with what we have yet to make"
"One of the most important things we have learned over 20 years of working together is the need to listen to one another, because the brightest ideas often come from those who speak very, very quietly"
The book Designed by Apple in California is released in a limited edition in two formats: small (25.9 x 32.4 cm) priced at $199 and large (33 x 40.6 cm) at $299. It is printed on specially produced paper of a particular hue with matte silver-edged pages. It is sold exclusively on Apple.com in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, France, Japan, and Taiwan, as well as at select Apple Store locations.
