Behind Apple products is a key designer:

SAN FRANCISCO - Steve Jobs is Apple's most recognized personality, but much of the prestige of the brand comes from its clean design and inviting, from which we must give credit to their chief designer, Jonathan "Jony" Ive.

Ive, a British modest 44, Jobs helped to return to Apple from the brink of financial ruin with the playful design of the iMac, whose original designs in bright colors came at a time when the world was dominated PCs by the soft tones.

Later, he helped transform Apple into a hub for consumer electronics and the envy of Silicon Valley with the iPod, iPhone and more recently the iPhone.

Following the recent resignation as Director Jobs, Apple must demonstrate that it can continue to produce innovative products, even without its charismatic leader. The Apple chief operating officer, Tim Cook, now as CEO will assume the role of the public face of Apple.

However, in many ways, the real pressure will be on Ive Apple to continue its string of successes.

Ive has led the design team at Apple since the mid 1990's. Working closely with Jobs, Ive built a strong tradition in Apple, to promote products that are elegant and stylish, with rounded corners, a few buttons, brushed aluminum surfaces and lots of glass polishing.

Six of the works Ive, including the original iPod, they are still part of the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA).

In 1992, while Jobs was in exile for 12 years at Apple, the director of design company, Robert Brunner, Ive hired as senior designer.

Brunner started in 1996 and suggested that Ive took office, although he was only 29 years. When Jobs returned from exile and became acting director in 1997, Ive named senior vice president of industrial design.

With Jobs back at the helm and Ive style as their guru, Apple focused on the design and business dealt a blow that put the company back on track. Apple hit the personal computer industry in 1998 with the candy colored iMacs. The original model had the form of a futuristic TV at a time when most computers were square and black, beige or gray. It sold 150,000 in its first weekend. Apple sold 800,000 iMacs later that year.

The iMac changed the concept of personal computers and Apple's own consumers. Apple gave a vital impetus that helped usher in a new era of consumer electronics that was quirky, fun and colorful.The marketing team even went so far as to suggest to consumers that buy their way to five-color collection: strawberry, blueberry, grape, tangerine and lemon.

In charge of design Ive, Apple introduced the first iPod in 2001, the iPhone in 2007 and the IPAD 2010.

In recent years, the company largely abandoned the palette of bright colors (although you can still find some iPods) in favor of black shades, white and silver. However, their products retain the simplicity that made them accessible to everyone and their curves, shiny surfaces and luxurious look.

As a result, Apple products are more popular than ever, allowing the company exceeded last year to rival Microsoft Corp. as the most valuable technology company in the world.

"He was not responsible for them, but definitely could not have been created without it," said Leander Kahney, who has written several books about Apple and his blog, "Cult of Mac" (The Cult of Mac).

Ive and Jobs have worked closely and in many respects, have contributed to a mutual success. Ive always been in touch with Jobs, speaking the same language as him and have an obvious chemistry, said Paola Antonelli, chief curator of architecture and design at MoMA.

Don Norman, who worked at Apple in the 1990s as vice president of advanced technology group, said that although I've had good design ideas "sitting on the shelves," Jobs needed to get those designs into reality.

"Jony Jony has always been: brilliant," said Norman. "What we needed was a Steve Jobs who said 'Let's make it happen," he said.