Guess we’ll be seeing the results of the new blood on Apple’s Industrial design team. Three members — Rico Zorkendorfer, Daniele De Iuliis, and Julian Hönig — are departing or have departed, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Zorkendorfer has been a member of Apple’s Industrial Design team for 15 years. After graduating from Art Center product design in Fall 1996 he began his design career at the international design consultancy IDEO in San Francisco where he spent six years designing for a variety of clients and industries. In 2003 he joined the Apple industrial design team lead by Jonathan Ive.
At Apple Rico was part of a small and intimate team that is in charge of conceiving and designing all Apple products, packaging and aspects of the retail experience. He worked in close collaboration with the engineering and manufacturing teams.
Hönig has been a member of Apple’s Industrial Design team for nine years. He’s also co-founder of Awesome Surfboards and is formerly a senior designer for Lamborghini (2008-2009) and Audi (2001-2008).
I wasn’t able to find any info on De Iuliis, except that he is Italian and has credits on over 300 patents granted to Apple.
Zorkendorfer says there are “incredible new designers” at Apple. “What we’ve been able to do the last few decades will continue,” he told The Wall Street Journal. The article adds that the long-time industrial design team is slowly disbanding after the success of products like iPhone made their futures secure and comfortable.
Apple industrial design was established in April 1977 when Steve Jobs hired Jerry Manock to design the Apple II case. Here’s how Apple describes the team: It “plays a pivotal role at every stage of the product development process, from the preliminary concept to the production of the painstakingly crafted final product. This team is world-renowned for their meticulous attention to detail and the high-quality standards they use to select materials, manufacturing processes, and final colors and finishes. Their projects extend further than product categories to also support the design of accessories, packaging, and the Apple retail experience.”
The group is super-secretive and rarely appears in public together. The 22-person team works under the guidance of Sir Jony Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of design.
