Former Apple Design Chief Jony Ive Shares His 12 Favorite Tools of the Trade

Jony Ive, the former Apple design chief who still partners with Apple on products, has revealed his 12 must-have design tools.

The list appears in a special issue of Financial Times, which Ive is guest editor, and the designer uses the opportunity to put the focus on his obsession with making.

• Torque wrench — Snap-On adjustable torque wrench, £455
• Tonearm — Linn titanium Ekos SE tonearm, $5,645, basilaudio.com
• Hex Keys — Wiha colour-coded hex L-Key set, from $3.69
• Paper folder — Paper folder, hwebber.co.uk
• Measuring Tape — Hermès leather In The Pocket measuring tape, $530
• Loupe — Vintage brass folding magnifier by Leitz Wetzlar, from Ive’s personal collection
• Fountain pen — Vintage pen by Montegrappa, from Ive's personal collection
• Eraser — Graf Von Faber-Castell platinum-plated eraser, £100, jacksonsart.com
• Pencil case — Vintage leather pouch by Visvim, from Ive's personal collection
• Protractor — Mitutoyo 6in universal bevel protractor, £264
• Depth gauge — Starrett 440Z-3RL depth micrometer, $355

  The Wempe Navigator II ship has a weather station and clock.

Ive doesn't offer any explanation for what makes the list or what specific products they helped him design, but in a separate piece in which Ive and fellow LoveFrom designer Newson talk about the equipment in their Cotswolds workshop.

"There's a beauty and a joy in the machines and tools. They are no longer solely a means to an end. I think there's an inherent elegance in an effective tool that normally results in a curious beauty."

Ive recalls how Newson helped him through the challenges he faced working on the Apple Watch, and how he really struggled with the physical design.

I do think our work on the Apple Watch together speaks to a joyful and effective collaboration at a particularly difficult time. I had felt so strongly that there was an important opportunity to create a very personal and useful product that could be worn on the wrist. I spent a lot of time wrestling with the big founding ideas and the fundamental issues of interface but had somehow assumed that the work on the actual object would be fairly straightforward.

When the basic architecture of the idea was defined, I really struggled with the physical design. It was from that place of struggle that I asked you to help. While it was humbling for me, I think we got to the final design quickly together. We are proud of the work. I always hope to achieve that sense of inevitability, that simplicity where there doesn’t really appear to be a rational alternative.

I left his position at Apple to co-found LoveFrom with Newson. At the time, the tech giant said it would remain one of Ive's primary clients, but which Apple products he has helped to design since then is unknown. It is not clear if Ive was involved in the design of the iMac after he left Apple.

It's not clear how many employees work for LoveFrom, but Ive recruited at least four of his former Apple colleagues to work with him.