Jony Ive has long been an integral part of Apple's product design team and other duties at Apple, serving as Senior Vice President of Design for a number of years. It's never too late, however, for a promotion.
Ive was recently given the title of "Chief Design Officer," essentially allowing him to concentrate on design, handing off managerial duties to others within the company.
"I am happy to announce that Jony Ive is being promoted to the newly created position of Chief Design Officer at Apple," said Apple CEO Tim Cook in an internal memo. "...His new role is a reflection of the scope of work he has been doing at Apple for some time. Jony's design responsibilities have expanded from hardware and, more recently, software UI to the look and feel of Apple retail stores..."
Ive's minimalist design philosophy has had a massive impact on the tech world and on the design world in general. He is the mastermind behind products like the iPhone, in which he worked closely with ex-CEO Tim Cook. He has also worked on the iMac, and more recently the Apple Watch, both extremely successful products. In fact, the design of these products is so good that they have become fashion statements, especially when it comes to the iPhone and Apple Watch. Ive even had a say in the design of Apple's upcoming "spaceship" campus.
"Design is one of the most important ways we communicate with our customers, and our reputation for world-class design differentiates Apple from every other company in the world," continued the memo. "As Chief Design Officer, Jony will remain responsible for all of our design, focusing entirely on current design projects, new ideas and future initiatives."
In his new position, some of Ive's day-to-day responsibilities will be handed off to long-time collaborators, Richard Howeth, who will oversee responsibilities involving industrial design, and Alan Dye, who will take care of user interfaces for Apple products.
It's unlikely that from a consumer perspective we will see a big change in Apple's products because of the change. The new role seems to be more about giving Ive the freedom to work on only design rather than streamlining any serious work at Apple HQ. In fact, the main difference will likely be that Howeth and Dye will have a lot more power at Apple. Both of these new executives have been instrumental in designing past Apple products, and we will likely see more of their input in Apple products going forward.
