Pentagram: Design as Partnership

Pentagram is, by almost any measure, the most influential independent design consultancy in the world. Founded in London in 1972 by Alan Fletcher, Theo Crosby, Colin Forbes, Kenneth Grange, and Mervyn Kurlansky, the firm was built on a premise that still defines it half a century later: that the best design work comes from small, senior-led teams working without layers of bureaucracy, and that a consultancy can thrive without sacrificing the intimacy and accountability of a studio.

The original Pentagram office at 61 North Wharf Road in Paddington became a crucible for a new kind of practice, one in which graphic designers, architects, and industrial designers operated under a single roof as equal partners. That structure, radical at the time, has proven remarkably durable. Today the firm spans offices in London, New York, San Francisco, Berlin, and Austin, but its governance model remains largely unchanged. Each partner owns an equal share, runs their own team, and takes personal responsibility for every project that leaves their studio.

The Partner Model

What distinguishes Pentagram from virtually every other consultancy of its scale is the absence of a corporate hierarchy. There is no CEO, no holding company, no layer of account managers standing between the client and the person doing the thinking. Partners are elected by existing partners, and each brings a distinct creative sensibility. The result is not a house style but a constellation of approaches unified by a shared commitment to excellence and authorship.

This model attracts a particular kind of designer: someone who wants proximity to decision-making, who values craft over process, and who is willing to take ownership of outcomes. It also means that working at Pentagram is less like joining a corporation and more like apprenticing within a specific studio. Your experience will be shaped, in large part, by the partner you work with.

"We are a group of individuals, not a corporation. The work is personal, and that is what makes it good."

Breadth and Depth

Pentagram's portfolio is staggeringly broad. The London office alone has produced landmark work in brand identity, publishing, architecture, exhibition design, digital product design, and wayfinding. Partners past and present have shaped the visual identities of institutions ranging from the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Design Museum to the Guardian, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Mastercard. They have designed books, typefaces, buildings, furniture, and entire urban signage systems.

This breadth is not the result of a corporate strategy to capture market share. It flows naturally from the partner model. Because each partner is free to pursue the work that interests them, the firm's collective output reflects the full range of design as a discipline. A prospective employee might find themselves working on a museum catalogue one month and a technology brand the following quarter, depending on which team they join.

London: Where It Began

The London office holds a particular significance within the Pentagram network. It is where the founding ethos was forged, and it continues to set a tone for the wider practice. Located today in Notting Hill, the studio is a working environment rather than a showroom. Shelves hold reference books and material samples. Walls display work in progress. The atmosphere is concentrated and collaborative, with teams that tend to be small enough for every member to have a tangible impact on the final output.

London's partners have included some of the most celebrated figures in British design: John McConnell, who created the identity for Faber and Faber; Marina Willer, whose film and identity work earned international recognition; Domenic Lippa, whose typographic sensibility has shaped brands across publishing and luxury; and Naresh Ramchandani, who brought a writer's perspective to design strategy. The current roster reflects a continued appetite for creative range and intellectual ambition.

Culture and Expectations

Pentagram does not describe itself in the language of corporate culture. There are no mission statements pinned to the walls. What exists instead is a set of implicit expectations: that the work will be rigorously considered, that craft will be taken seriously at every scale, and that ideas will be defended with intelligence rather than volume. Designers at Pentagram are expected to think, not merely to execute.

For those who thrive in this environment, the rewards are considerable. Proximity to partners who are among the best in their field offers an education that few other studios can match. The firm's reputation opens doors to projects of genuine cultural significance. And the emphasis on authorship means that individual contributions are visible, not buried in a corporate portfolio.

A Living Legacy

At over fifty years old, Pentagram is no longer just a design firm. It is an institution, one that has shaped the profession's understanding of what a consultancy can be. Its longevity is not the result of safe choices or conservative management. It is the product of a structure that renews itself with each new partner, ensuring that the practice remains vital without losing the principles on which it was built.

For designers considering their next move, Pentagram represents something increasingly rare: a place where design is treated as an intellectual and artistic endeavour, where the people making the work are the same people accountable for it, and where the legacy of the past is not a burden but an invitation to contribute something worthy of what came before.