After Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ive is the most influential person at Apple, and— according to The Daily Telegraph—the most influential Briton in the U.S., two places ahead of Sony Chairman Howard Stringer. Although that ranking may seem strange, the paper might have it right. Ive, now 41, joined Apple in 1992 and has overseen the design of an incredible run of products since Jobs returned to the company in 1996, including the iMac, the iPod, and last year's iPhone. He received a National Design Award in 2007, a D&AD Gold Award in 2002, and was named a Commander of the British Empire in 2006. Ive works in secret with an international team of a dozen designers whose effect on Apple's fortunes has been enormous as they've pioneered new looks for old gadgets, as well as the innovative use of materials.More than 119 million iPods have been sold to date and consumers snatched up a million iPhones in the first 74 days they were on sale. Ive's impact on pop culture, meanwhile, is immeasurable. The iPod's minimalist, functional design helped speed the digital music revolution, Apple's products are among the most recognizable in the world, and you won't have to look very far to see the impact of Ive's refined design sensibility. Perhaps, in fact, no further than your pocket.

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