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June 28, 2007

steve_jobs

Love a man in uniform? Try Steve Jobs.

Posted Jun. 28, ’07, 9:05 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Apple » Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs in uniformThere are plenty of questions I’d want to ask Steve Jobs, given the opportunity to sit down with the man one-on-one: how do you think Apple will survive without you?; where is the Macintosh platform headed?; why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways?

Steven Heller, co-chair of the Designer as Author MFA at School of Visual Arts, and book author, has a burning question of his own, one that’s likely to be on the minds of many an Apple aficionado:

Heller: Mr. Jobs, it’s not easy to get you to sit for an interview, so I’ll make this short. Why do you always wear blue jeans and a black turtleneck?

Jobs: That’s what you got me here for? Why don’t we talk about my head-to-toe attack on Bill Gates with our Safari web browser available for Windows-based PCs or my revolutionary iPhone?

Heller: Sure, all that’s very interesting, but we don’t have much time. So, just answer this: Why always with the blue jeans and a black turtleneck? I know you can afford better clothes.

Well, of course we know that Steve doesn’t always wear a black turtleneck and jeans; during this year’s Macworld keynote, he wore a button down shirt…with jeans.

But beyond his fictional interview [yes, of course it’s fictional], Heller raises some interesting points in a followup comment:

How does this pertain to a journal of Design? Steve Jobs is design. When he gets up before the public he is a logo. His uniform is key to this corporate identity. […]

Frankly, I enjoy how he’s branded himself in relation to his usually wonderful products. Look how different he and Bill Gates are in this regard. Its fascinating.

What’s more I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting to ask these questions, and I’m sure its the last thing he’d want to talk about because it would pierce a well cultivated facade.

Spot on. We’re talking about a man who’s been known to focus on the most minute details, a man who’s as much image as he is reality. There’s a reason he picks out a black turtleneck and jeans.

That’s where the reality distortion field generator is.

[Thanks, Jason T]


2 Comments

pdkoenig Author Profile Page said:

Things I learned from being one of the high school theatre geeks: The plain black top worn with a mostly black backdrop helps draw attention to the face and hands. This allows Jobs to appear far more expressive than other speakers.

Similarly, if you look at the iPhone videos, you notice how easy it is to follow the hands of The Human Bob.

So what does my comment have to do with Apple design? Once again it's taking a little detail of usability, doing it well, and having it become iconic.

June 28, 2007 10:00 AM
Peter said:

Actually, I still remember years and years ago when Steve wore a suit at MacWorld Tokyo...

June 28, 2007 6:54 PM

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