Apple’s primary successor to Jony Ive, Evans Hankey, director of industrial design, is leaving after three years. As of this writing, there is no nominated successor, but Hankey is apparently going to stay on for a transitional period of six months. Alan Dye, who replaced Ive as head of software design in 2019, will continue in that position. The shuffle might not be wholly detrimental. Gary Butcher, a former top designer at Dye and currently Airbnb’s design VP, is going back to work for Apple. What duties Butcher would assume upon his return is unknown. Apple emphasised the fact that its design division has “strong leaders with decades of experience” and produces items that are “undeniably” emblematic of the business. No justification is given for Hankey’s departure.
When Hankey assumed over, there were a lot of demands placed on her. Many of Apple’s most recognisable hardware creations, such as the iMac, iPod, and iPhone, were the work of Ive. Although it’s unclear how much Hankey has influenced product design—Ive and Ive just really split up in July—she has presided over a variety of applauded reworks and subtle evolutions during her time there. The business replaced the unpopular MacBooks from the butterfly keyboard era with more useful models and unveiled a few significant redesigns, like the iMac M1. Apple emphasised the fact that its design division has “strong leaders with decades of experience” and produces items that are “undeniably” emblematic of the business. No justification is given for Hankey’s departure.
When Hankey assumed over, there were a lot of demands placed on her. Many of Apple’s most recognisable hardware creations, such as the iMac, iPod, and iPhone, were the work of Ive. Although it’s unclear how much Hankey has influenced product design—Ive and Ive just really split up in July—she has presided over a variety of applauded reworks and subtle evolutions during her time there. The business replaced the unpopular MacBooks from the butterfly keyboard era with more useful models and unveiled a few significant redesigns, like the iMac M1.
