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Apple Inc. Loses One of Its Last Remaining Jony Ive-era Designers

By Consultants Review Team Tuesday, 19 December 2023

After over 20 years at Apple Inc., Peter Russell-Clarke, one of the company's few remaining senior industrial designers from the Jony Ive era, has stepped down.   

The executive worked on hardware design for Apple's primary products and assisted in the design of the company's headquarters and retail locations. Russell-Clarke, who left Apple in October, is currently working as an adviser for space technology company Vast. 

Vast said in a statement Monday that he will assist the firm in building its industrial design team.

The move signals a change of guard for Apple's renowned design team. Almost all of Ive's roughly two dozen main designers have now left the organization. Ive and his colleagues' efforts helped define the Apple aesthetic — clean lines and intuitive interfaces — that helped propel the iMac, iPhone, and iPad to success. 

In 2019, Ive left Apple to launch his design studio, LoveFrom, with clients including Airbnb Inc., Ferrari NV, and Moncler SpA. Only a few designers from the Ive period remain at Apple, notably Vice President of Design Richard Howarth. 

Evans Hankey, Apple's replacement for Ive, quit the company in 2023 after only roughly three years as CEO. Apple's top designers now report directly to Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams.

 

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