On Sunday, I found myself completely captivated by an interview with Sir Jony Ive, the British designer whose work at Apple transformed not just technology but our relationship with everyday objects. As he spoke about design philosophy, something crystallised for me – a truth I’ve instinctively known but hadn’t fully articulated about creative entrepreneurship.
He described a moment when someone unwraps a product and discovers a thoughtfully designed detail, creating a feeling that “somebody gave a shit about me.” That invisible care, detectable even though creator and user never meet, creates a connection that transcends the transaction.
This insight struck me deeply because it challenges one of the most damaging myths in business: that efficiency and speed should always triumph over care and thoughtful design. That being “professional” means prioritising systems and scalability over the human elements of what we create.
For creative entrepreneurs especially, this myth can pull us away from the very quality that makes our work meaningful and distinctive.
The False Opposition of Utility and Beauty
“When I’ve designed something or been involved in the design of something that doesn’t work, I don’t care what it looks like. It’s ugly,” Ive stated plainly during the interview.
This perspective demolishes the artificial divide we’ve created between function and beauty. True care isn’t about making something merely attractive – it’s ensuring it works beautifully too. When something functions exactly as it should, with thoughtful consideration for the person using it, that’s a profound kind of beauty.
I’ve witnessed this in my own journey from creating floral designs in my kitchen for local pubs to designing for prestigious institutions and royal weddings. The care poured into even the smallest arrangements communicated something beyond the flowers themselves – an intention, a consideration, a human touch.
This care extends far beyond the visual aspects of what we create. It permeates everything:
- The clarity of our communication
- The thoughtfulness of our processes
- The consideration in how we structure information
- The attention to timing and context
- The integrity of materials and execution
The Power of Principled Service
What struck me most about Ive’s philosophy was his focus on service – the recognition that regardless of how celebrated or innovative his work became, it was fundamentally about being of service to those who would use what he created.
This mindset transforms how we think about our creative businesses. When we approach our work not just as self-expression but as a genuine desire to create something meaningful for others, we reconnect with the essential purpose of our work.
This isn’t about diminishing your creative vision – quite the opposite. It’s about connecting that vision to real human needs and experiences. It’s about creating with intention rather than just for decoration or trend.
I find this perspective liberating because it shifts focus away from comparison or differentiation for its own sake. Instead, it brings us back to the essential question: how can my particular skills and perspective create something valuable for others?
Finding Order in Chaos
“In a sea of noise and information overload, I want everything that I create to come with a sense of calm and to be deeply helpful,” Ive explained in the interview. His goal, as he described it, was “to bring order to chaos” – not just to create something uncluttered, but to create something with soul that helps people navigate complexity with clarity and ease.
This philosophy resonates so deeply with my current work. For the handbook I’ve been developing (available May 29th), I’ve been obsessing over not just the content but every aspect of the design and experience. I could have taken a quicker approach – used templates, relied more heavily on AI, focused solely on information rather than experience.
But there’s something powerful about this commitment to bringing order to the chaos that many creative entrepreneurs experience. Business can feel overwhelming, with conflicting advice coming from every direction. Creating resources that bring calm, clarity, and a sense of possibility becomes an act of service in itself.
Ive also noted something profound about the creator’s mindset: “My state of mind and how I am in my practice ultimately is going to be embodied in the work. And so if I’m consumed with anxiety, that’s how the work will end up.”
This perspective is exactly why I’ve been so focused on creating from a place of calm and clarity as I’ve been finalising the handbook. It’s my hope that the energy I bring to the creation process will be felt by everyone who engages with it.
The Soul in Simplicity
One particularly insightful moment came when Ive distinguished between minimalism and true simplicity. He suggested that people often mistake minimalism for “an uncluttered product,” which can lead to what he called a “desiccated, soulless product.” But true simplicity is about “trying to succinctly express the essence of something and its purpose and role in our life.”
This distinction matters tremendously for creative businesses. Simplicity isn’t about stripping away personality or uniqueness – it’s about clarifying what’s essential and expressing it with intention.
When we focus on distilling our work to its essence – whether that’s a design, a service, or a product – we often create something with greater impact. Not because it’s more elaborate or complicated, but because it connects more directly with what matters most.
The Markers No One Sees
Ive talked about what he called “markers” – the details and care that go into aspects of a product that most people will never consciously notice. He described how at Apple, they would design and pay attention to things that people might never see, because that care is part of what makes the whole experience feel different.
In your creative business, these markers might be:
- The extra research you do before a client meeting
- The thoughtfully written email you send before beginning a project
- The way you organise information behind the scenes
- The consideration you put into packaging
- The follow-up you provide long after a project is complete
People might never specifically comment on these elements, but collectively, they create an experience that feels more considered, more intentional, more human.
In a world where so much feels automated and impersonal, that human touch becomes increasingly valuable – not because it’s efficient in the traditional sense, but because it creates meaning and connection that can’t be automated or mass-produced.
Small Acts of Care
“We can get so consumed with finishing something that we don’t remember the why,” Ive noted. “You need to hold onto the why otherwise it becomes a struggle.”
For many creative entrepreneurs, the “why” behind our work includes this desire to create something with care – something that feels different from mass-produced or purely profit-driven offerings. Something that carries our humanity and attention within it.
Consider where in your business you might add a small act of care that could go unnoticed but would make the experience better for the people you serve. It might be:
- A handwritten note with an order
- An extra check-in after project completion
- A thoughtful follow-up resource tailored to a client’s needs
- A detail in your packaging that brings a smile
- Taking time to understand the context of a project, not just the requirements
These acts of care might seem small in isolation, but collectively, they create a business that feels different – one that stands out not because it’s loudest or flashiest, but because it feels more human, more considered, more aligned with what truly matters.
Bringing Beauty to Business
I believe deeply that beauty belongs in everything we do – not just in our creative outputs, but in how we structure our processes, how we communicate, how we build relationships.
When I talk about building a business around what comes naturally to you, this is part of what I mean – recognising that your natural appreciation for beauty or harmony or thoughtful details isn’t something to suppress in the name of being “businesslike.” It’s actually a tremendous strength that can differentiate your business in meaningful ways.
In that sea of noise and information overload we all experience, offering something that feels calm, beautiful, and intentional is increasingly rare and valuable. Creating resources, offerings, and experiences that people actually enjoy engaging with is a profound way to stand out while staying true to your creative values.
This perspective doesn’t deny the importance of business fundamentals – of course we need to think about sustainability, pricing, marketing, and systems. But it suggests that these elements can be approached with the same care and intention that we bring to our creative work, creating businesses that feel aligned with our values rather than in opposition to them.
The Care That Connects
Ultimately, what Jony Ive’s interview reinforced for me is that care creates connection. When we pour attention and intention into our work – even into details that may go unnoticed – we communicate something beyond the product or service itself. We communicate that the person on the receiving end matters.
As creative entrepreneurs, this may be our greatest advantage in a marketplace increasingly dominated by AI, automation, and mass production. Not that we can’t use these tools – we absolutely can and should where appropriate – but that we bring something to our work that cannot be replicated by algorithms: human care and attention.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Where do you see care making a difference in your creative business? How do you balance efficiency with the kind of attention that creates meaningful experiences? Share your reflections with me in the comments below or join the conversation over on Instagram.
If you’d like to watch the full interview with Sir Jony Ive that inspired these reflections, here’s the LINK
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