Designer, find thyself: Farewell to Jony Ive
Apple surprised everybody Thursday with news of the imminent departure of its Chief Design Officer, Sir Jony Ive. And while it is certainly the end of an era, the company will prevail.
Why is Ive leaving?
There are hundreds of hot takes around, but it seems likely the simplest answer is the most accurate: He needed a chance to find his art again.
I think one of the best ways to understand his move is to read between the lines of an extremely intimate 2015 profile of Ive in the New Yorker. It described someone for whom the trappings of power and responsibility had grown heavy. The award-winning designer described himself as “deeply, deeply tired” and “always anxious.”