Apple has released a new video titled “How Design Works,” reflecting Steve Jobs’s timeless belief that great design is about functionality, not decoration. The video, which opened last month’s iPhone keynote, is now available on Apple’s YouTube channel as a standalone reminder of the company’s enduring design values.
Apple’s Design Essence
The short film begins with Jobs’s quote: “Design isn’t just how it looks and feels. Design is how it works.” This quote summarizes a core principle Apple has embraced for two decades: Design should make technology invisible. Every sound and frame represents Apple’s design approach, considering not only hardware aesthetics but also human behavior. At the same time, 14 years have passed since Steve Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011.
Shiftdelete.netCritics have questioned Apple’s choice to evoke Jobs’ legacy while continuing to refresh iOS’s visuals and icons. But the purpose appears broader. Narrative and imagery shift attention from color palettes to experience. Apple reminds viewers that design happens in moments, how a movement feels natural, how an animation conveys purpose, how a device integrates into everyday life.
Video doesn’t sell a product. It sells a belief. And for Apple, that belief has remained constant since Jobs first defined it: real design works.
