Apple will not name a new Industrial Design Chief following the departure of current head of product design Evans Hankey – an odd move for a company celebrated for its strong design elements.

Hankey took the job in 2019, replacing longtime head of design Jony Ive (pictured below), who held the hold from 1997 and was credited, with the return of Steve Jobs that same year, for crafting the company’s distinct and groundbreaking products.

Now, according to Bloomberg, who cites the usual “people with knowledge of the decision, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private”, the company’s core group of 20 industrial designers will report directly to Apple’s COO Jeff Williams, with Apple’s longest-tenured designers receiving larger roles within the company.