Last week, legendary designer Jony Ive announced in an interview with the Financial Times that he was leaving Apple.
Ive is responsible for some of the most iconic product designs of the past twenty years, including versions of the iPod, iPhone, iMac and user interface elements of iOS. His departure marks yet another break from the Steve Jobs-era Apple.
The British-born Ive’s next step will be to run LoveFrom, an independent agency that will count Apple as one of its first clients, according to the Wall Street Journal.
It’s unclear exactly what LoveFrom will be working on. So with such a titan of the design world now a free agent, we asked some InVision staffers and Inside Design writers what should Ive do next?
Aarron Walter, VP of Design Education
“I’d love to see Ive point his innovative talents to sustainable architecture to help us shift to energy-efficient, environmentally conscious living. I’d like to see Ive shift away from work that perpetuates mass consumption and instead enables mass conservation.”
Sarah Doody, Founder of UX Portfolio Formula, Inside Design contributor
“Jony Ive should spend a year traveling to immerse himself in the lives of people who don’t live in the coastal bubbles! We need more bright minds solving for bigger human needs, not novelties for the 1%. He should focus on a few issues and go out for a year on almost a research road trip to collect tons of ideas and inspiration. And let’s face it, the guy needs a break too! But as a designer, I bet it’s hard for him to turn off his research mind.”
Pablo Stanley, Lead Designer, InVision Studio Platform Team
“With his new company, I hope Jony will go the opposite route of the Apple way of doing things and design in the open. It would be great if Jony and his team shared their process, including all their misses and false starts.
With Apple, we only got to see the polished, finished product, and story. But design is messy, non-linear, and chaotic. I would love it if they shared the frustrations and pain they go through before they arrive at a final draft. Sharing this would show the human side of design and all those learning moments—it would help the community grow as a whole.”
No matter what he chooses, we’ll be keeping an eye on Jony’s next steps. Follow @InVisionApp on Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter as we keep an eye on what’s next for Ive.
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