Larger than life. Steve Jobs with the ipod, one of Apple's most successful products. By Antonio Palmiero, Palmiero Design, Milton Keynes.

Steve Jobs died last month aged 56. A man looked upon as a God in the technology industry who turned the creative world upside down!

When I first started out in the design business in the very late 80s, Apple Macs were only just being introduced into design studios and still very few and far between.

Instead, Pantone markers, Rotring pens, set squares and French curves were used with layout pads (not iPads) to create design visuals. Type written text was supplied for designers to mark-up with instructions that would be faxed off to typesetting companies. Bromides would come back the next day for us to cut-up and often make very large boards with paste-up, camera ready artwork - stuck with either spray mount, gum or even wax! Photos had to be attached as transparencies with masking tape! All this would be sent by taxi (because it was too big for a bike) and delivered to the printers for reprographic work, scanning and platemaking before hitting the printing press.

Following the advent of the Mac, almost every aspect of the production of visual communications changed for ever. And thanks to many software developers who joined the revolution, it made more things possible to so many more individuals and businesses alike. Tasks such as typesetting, retouching and illustration, previously only achievable by those highly trained, was suddenly possible by almost everyone with a Mac. On just one machine we could now design a logo, retouch an image, create an illustration, produce an advert, poster or leaflet and even edit a film.

But, could a computer ever take over the role of a designer? For me, no it can't. Like a restaurant kitchen in the hands of a Michelin chef - only if you have the right ingredients and combine them with the correct techniques, experience and talent can you produce something with creative flair.

Apple is seen to be a design company as well as a technology company. It has redesigned the way we live and given us the tools to do it. Its products are not just the best looking but also offer the best user experience. A great lesson for all of us out there in business.

I'm sure we can all look back and reflect the impact of how Apple has changed our lives in business and personal lives too. As a designer I'd like to thank Steve Jobs for bringing Apple and particularly the Mac into my world. Although it doesn't do my job for me, it does make it a hell of a lot easier to deliver design work through my team more quickly and effectively, as well as giving my customers exactly what they need.