VIDEO: Steve Jobs on designing the NeXT logo
Apple founder Steve Jobs founded a second computer company after Apple, called NeXT. As many Apple users know, NeXT created the operating system Apple later introduced as OSX, and that now forms the core of iOS, watchOS, tvOS and will be part of other operating systems in future.
This little-known video (found on FastCompany) sees Jobs talk about his work with designer Paul Rand, who developed the NeXT logo for Jobs. It’s an interesting collection of thoughts, and reveals a little concerning how Jobs thought about design.
You also see Jobs stop and think about what he wants to say, which I found a particularly enlightening insight into how he thought about things.
The following video takes a deeper dive into the NeXT logo design.
Some thoughts:
- Logos are only as good as the quality of what they represent
- Clarity in relationships matter
- Simplicity is emotional, but also deeply complex to achieve
- Designers solve problems, they don’t provide “options”
Here’s a video of Rand presenting the design to Apple’s employees later on.
Fascinating stuff!
