Airbnb has announced that it has formed a multi-year partnership with Jony Ive, who was Apple’s former head of product design.
After Ive retired from Apple around a year ago, he created a new independent design firm called “LoveFrom.” The firm has now entered an agreement with Airbnb to help design the next generation of its “products and services.”
In a blog post, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky stated that he and Ive have been “good friends for many years.”
“Jony will also help us continue to develop our internal design team, which he believes to be one of the world’s best,” Chesky wrote. “I know he is particularly excited about a relationship that will evolve to become a deep collaboration with our creative team.”
Chesky notes that LoveForm has a collection of creatives that include designers, architects, musicians, writers, engineers and artists.
He also says that he and Ive share the same belief in the value and importance of creativity and design, and that they believe “not only in making objects and interfaces” but also in crafting services and experiences.
“We’ve seen how design can facilitate trust and enable more human connection, something people are desperate for during an unprecedented time of loneliness and disconnection,” Chesky writes.
It’s not clear what Airbnb has planned with this partnership, but we’ll likely learn more as it progresses.
Source: Airbnb
