Jony Ive — image credit: LoveFrom
Apple’s ex-chief designer Jony Ive has joined the British Museum as it works to renovate its London buildings and better use digital technologies.
Since leaving Apple, Jony Ive and his LoveFrom firm have become a staple of design in Britain, from designing a royal emblem for King Charles, through a space project logo, and redesigning Comic Relief’s famous red nose. Now Ive has been appointed to the board of Trustees of the British Museum.
“It is an extraordinary honour to join the Board of Trustees of the British Museum,” Ive said in a statement to AppleInsider. “I have adored the museum since I first visited as a child over fifty years ago.”
“It is a remarkable and singular institution that ultimately fosters curiosity and understanding across cultures and time,” he continued. “Like most designers, I am a keen historian and the British Museum is a masterpiece of public cultural experience.”
Ive joins the board as the British Museum is undertaking what Ive describes as its “appropriately ambitious Masterplan for transformation.” The Masterplan involves renovating and redesigning the museum’s galleries, as well as adding new visitor facilities.
“Jony Ive fuses design and technology in a way that has changed our world — and with his work at the frontier of AI, continues to do so,” said George Osborne, Chair of Trustees British Museum. “For a British Museum that wants to lead in bringing great design and the latest technology together as we transform our galleries, there is no one on Earth better equipped to help us than Jony.”
Ive appointment is one of five that is at the choice of the board trustees themselves. The total of 25 trustees also includes ones appointed by the British Prime Minister, another by King Charles, and some described as being from relevant industry bodies.
Jony Ive takes up his new role immediately. The British Museum Masterplan began in 2023 and is currently focused on overhauling the museum’s energy usage to phase out fossil fules.
Separately, Ive’s “io” company that he started with Sam Altman has recently been bought by OpenAI for $6.5 billion. Little is known of the startup’s plans, but it involves an AI-based device of some description.
