Jony Ive, the designer behind the iPhone, is leaving Apple

Chief Design Officer Jony Ive is departing after more than two decades at Apple to start his own design firm, the company said Thursday.

But he’s not completely severing ties with the company he has worked at for nearly 30 years. Apple said it will be one of Mr. Ive’s clients at his new firm.

Mr. Ive has been a fixture on Apple’s design team since the early 1990s and is known for shaping Apple’s signature rounded, stylish designs.