Sir Jonathan (Jony) Ive was born in London, England. He is best known for his work at Apple Inc., where he served as senior vice president of industrial design and chief design officer. Working closely with Steve Jobs, Ive designed the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and the user interface of Apple iOS, among other products. He was also responsible for the design of Apple Stores and Apple Park, the company’s California headquarters.
Ive immigrated to California to join Apple in 1992 and became a U.S. citizen in 2012. During a BBC interview, he discussed the role immigration plays in Silicon Valley. “People have travelled from all over the world to participate in the energy and to join other like-minded people,” he said. “There’s a tremendous sort of diversity, a cultural diversity … important for creating a context for multiple companies to grow.”
In 2019 Ive left Apple to establish LoveFrom, his own London-based firm of designers, architects, musicians, filmmakers, writers, engineers, and artists. He was also appointed chancellor of the Royal College of Art in London. LoveFrom is providing $1.5 million in scholarships for underrepresented minority design students. The scholarships are awarded at the Royal College of Art as well as at the Rhode Island School of Design and the California College of the Arts in the U.S. Ive was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (HonFREng).
