Jony Ive (b. 1967)

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Biography

Sir Jonathan Paul Ive is a British-American designer. He is best known for his work at Apple Inc., where he was senior vice president of industrial design and chief design officer. Ive is the founder of LoveFrom, a creative collective that works with Ferrari, Airbnb, OpenAI and other global brands. He has been chancellor of the Royal College of Art in London since 2017 and a trustee of the British Museum since June 2025.

Timeline

The story of Jony Ive, told in moments.

1967 Birth

Born Jonathan Paul Ive in Chingford, London. His father was a silversmith who lectured at Middlesex Polytechnic. His grandfather was an engineer. Ive was diagnosed with dyslexia in secondary school.

A silversmith father, an engineer grandfather. Was design the family trade? Diagnosed with dyslexia. Did that shape how you think visually?

1992 Event

Joined Apple as a designer. He'd been working at Tangerine, a London design firm, on projects for LG and Ideal Standard. At Apple, he started designing PowerBooks and Macs. Nobody outside the company knew his name yet.

Joining Apple to design PowerBooks. Did you see the potential? Nobody knowing your name yet. Was anonymity comfortable?

1998 Event

The iMac G3 shipped. Translucent. Bondi blue. It looked nothing like any computer anyone had seen. Steve Jobs had returned to Apple and promoted Ive to senior VP of industrial design. The partnership would reshape consumer electronics.

Translucent Bondi blue. Was that color a statement? Steve Jobs promoting you. Did the partnership click immediately?

2007 Event

The iPhone launched. Ive's team had designed a device with no physical keyboard. 1.4 million units sold in the first year. By the end of the decade, the iPhone generated more revenue than most Fortune 500 companies.

No physical keyboard on a phone. Was that courage or conviction? 1.4 million units the first year. Did that exceed your expectations?

2019 Event

Left Apple after 27 years. He'd designed the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Apple Watch, and Apple Park. Founded LoveFrom, a creative collective. Clients include Ferrari, Airbnb, and OpenAI.

27 years at Apple, then LoveFrom. Was leaving freedom or loss? Ferrari, Airbnb, OpenAI. Is design universal?