Apple's chief designer Jony Ive joined the company in 1992 and was responsible for designing some of Apple’s most iconic products, including the iMac, iPod, and iPhone. He is quitting to start his own firm
Apple’s chief design officer Jony Ive is leaving the company after nearly 30 years. Ive, who joined Apple in 1992, was responsible for designing some of Apple’s most iconic products, including the iMac, iPod, and iPhone.
On Thursday, Ive announced its plans to leave Apple. In a statement released by Apple, the company stated that Ive is leaving “to form an independent design company”. The new firm will be called LoveFrom and Apple said it would be among its first clients.
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“After nearly 30 years and countless projects, I am most proud of the lasting work we have done to create a design team, process and culture at Apple that is without peer,” said Ive.
Designers Evans Hankey, vice president of Industrial Design, and Alan Dye, vice president of Human Interface Design, will jointly replace Ive, according to the company.
“I have the utmost confidence in my designer colleagues at Apple, who remain my closest friends, and I look forward to working with them for many years to come.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook described Ive as “a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple’s revival cannot be overstated, from 1998’s groundbreaking iMac to the iPhone and the unprecedented ambition of Apple Park, where recently he has been putting so much of his energy and care.”
Ive is often seen as the world’s best industrial designer. Before joining Apple as a full-time employee, he worked on the original Apple PowerBook 140, launched in 1991, while still employed by the British design firm Tangerine. His first commercially successful Apple product was the 1998 iMac.
Ive was born and raised in London. He shared a close bond with Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs.