Apple Loses Three Members of Its Industrial Design Team

Apple is losing three members of its famed Industrial Design Team, reports the WSJ. The group is responsible for defining the company's aesthetic, as well as the design and user experience of its devices.

Rico Zorkendorfer and Daniele De Iuliis, who together have more than 35 years of experience at Apple, decided to leave the company recently, people familiar with the departures said. Another member of the team with a decade of experience, Julian Hönig, plans to leave in the coming months, people familiar with his plans said.

Zorkendorfer says he is taken a break from work to spend time with his family, Honig declined to comment, and De Iuliis didn't respond to requests for comment.


The Apple design team, known internally as ID, consists of about two dozen people. In recent years, Apple has added designers from Nike, independent studios, and design schools.

“This group is all-powerful in Apple,” said Neil Cybart, who runs Above Avalon, a site dedicated to Apple analysis. “Industrial designers have the final say over the user experience found with Apple devices, and they really do work like a family in a way. No one would argue, though, that new blood is a bad thing.”

Zorkendorfer corroborated this view:

“We have incredible new designers—a new generation,” Mr. Zorkendorfer said. “What we’ve been able to do the last few decades will continue. The talent is there.”


More details in the full report linked below...

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[2014 CultofMac]