The hardback book, Designed by Apple in California, went on sale today. It is dedicated to the memory of the company’s late CEO Steve Jobs.
The project was eight years in the making, and looks back on Apple product design over the course of 20 years. Apple chief design officer Jony Ive said: “The idea of genuinely trying to make something great for humanity was Steve’s motivation from the beginning, and it remains both our ideal and our goal as Apple looks to the future.
“This archive is intended to be a gentle gathering of many of the products the team has designed over the years. We hope it brings some understanding to how and why they exist, while serving as a resource for students of all design disciplines.”
In the foreword to the book, Ive also states: "We strive, with varying degrees of success, to define objects that appear effortless. Objects that appear so simple, coherent and inevitable that there could be no rational alternative."
The 300pp volume has been printed on “specially-milled, custom dyed” paper made in Germany, with the finished book featuring matt silver gilded edges. The cover is bound in linen, with a blind embossed spine.
It contains 450 images of Apple products, printed in eight-colours with high definition 280lpi screening, and what Apple described as “low ghost inks”. Photography was by Andrew Zuckerman.
The identity of the printer was not known at the time of writing.
Book production expert Francis Atterbury, managing director at Hurtwood Press, said:"It certainly looks like a nice, clean print job. I know that Jony Ive was given one of our Artisan Books a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it – maybe this is the result!"
Designed by Apple in California is available in two sizes: 325x260mm and 414x330mm, costing £169 and £249 respectively. The book is only for sale via Apple’s online shop and at selected Apple Stores.
