Apple announced today that Jony Ive, the lead designer of pretty much all Apple products since the original iMac, is leaving the company.

“Jony is 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, Apple will continue to benefit from Jony’s talents by working directly with him on exclusive projects, and through the ongoing work of the brilliant and passionate design team he has built. After so many years working closely together, I’m happy that our relationship continues to evolve and I look forward to working with Jony long into the future.”

Tim Cook

Sir Ive has been a staple of Apple since Steve Jobs came back and found the young designer struggling to get his designs through.

Ive has had his hand in anything Apple since them, creating the tight-knit Apple Design group. Only a handful of designs have ever left the group.

Ive has designed everything from iMacs, to MacBooks, iPods, iPhones, iPad, Apple Watch, and even Apple Park itself.

Ive has been on a path of discovery lately, relinquishing control of the design group to focus on designing Apple Park, then coming back and becoming a Senior VP for Apple. With his departure, Evan Kankey, Vice President of Industrial Design, and Alan Dye, VP of Human Interface Design will now lead the group and report to Jeff Williams, Apple’s COO.

Ive will be leaving to create his own design company which will count Apple as one of his clients.

It seems that Ive will still have a hand in things going on at Apple, but I for one would like to see a new path with design at Apple myself. I think the design group is still top of their game, but I would like to see what will be different with others running things.