PAGINA WEB DE PENTAGRAM

http://www.pentagram.com/work/#/all/all/newest/

Pentagram is the world's largest independent design consultancy. The firm

is owned and run by 19 partners, a group of friends who are all leaders in
their individual creative fields.

We work in London, New York, San Francisco, Berlin and Austin. We

design everything: architecture, interiors, products, identities, publications,
posters, books, exhibitions, websites, and digital installations.

Each of our clients works directly with one or more of our partners. This
reflects our conviction that great design cannot happen without passion,
intelligence, and personal commitment, which is demonstrated by a
portfolio of work that spans five decades.

With 19 partners working from offices in the U.S. and the U.K., Pentagram has built an
unshakable reputation for stellar design. What makes the company so successful? The
secret is rooted in the firms organizational structure, which dates back to its founding in
1972. While many design businesses have adopted top-down management schemes,
limited themselves to one director-owner or made half-baked attempts at sharing
ownership, Pentagram has finessed a democratic, multifaceted approach to partnership.
What can you learn from this legend? Here are six tips on making the Pentagram model
work for you:
Be passionate about making all partners equal. Pentagram exists without a hierarchy,
and each partner has the same voting rights on decisions from day one. This democracy
among partners is vital to the open exchange of knowledge and must be founded on a
fair and equal distribution of ownership.
Partnerships live and die by communication, so invest significant amounts of time and
money to regularly bring all the partners together to examine each others performance
and discuss issues. Pentagram does this at its twice-yearly partner meetings.
All partners must be open to critical analysis of their creative work and financial
performance. Honest critiques are key to Pentagrams reputation and success.
Carefully consider the dynamics of the organization you want to create, and constantly
search for new potential partners who will add to the creative value of the business as a
whole. Create synergies between partners rather than duplicate design disciplines and
approaches.
Help new partners adjust to the challenges and commitment required. For example,
Pentagram eases the up-front financial burden for new partners buying into the firm.

 Accept that bringing exceptionally talented people together within one organization will
always involve clashes. Promote a clear culture of rational debate, so issues can be aired
publicly among partners, debated and settled through an open and democratic voting
process.
- See more at: http://www.howdesign.com/design-creativity/designinspiration/pentagram/#sthash.aXPJWc1X.dpuf

http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Pentagram-Design-Reviews-E9947.htm
Nov 10, 2014
Apr 1, 2014

Great Intership
Former Employee - Anonymous Employee

I worked at Pentagram Design

Pros
New York office is a great place to learn and be exposed to real, high level design.
They even paid the interns and gave us lunch.
Cons
Long hours, but that's the case at most design internships.

No collaboration space, big egos, poor wages, at the computer

99% of the day
Current Employee - Senior DesignerinNew York, NY

I have been working at Pentagram Design full-time (more than an year)

Pros
The company used to have a great reputation, but their work is looking very oldfashioned now. The office is near Madison Square Park which is nice for a break.
Cons
The workers seem dissatisfied because they get paid so poorly for such long hours.
There are some very big egos downstairs and that is unpleasant to listen to. The
company has too many people for such a small space.
Advice to Management

Make changes now to ensure the company is around once the well known partners
leave.
Doesn't Recommend
Negative Outlook
Disapproves of CEO
Aug 22, 2014
1 person found this helpful

No collaboration. No management
Former Employee - Anonymous Employee

I worked at Pentagram Design

Pros
Name on resume probably is the only pros
Cons
Old school. Low pay. Competitive. No collaboration. No management.
Doesn't Recommend
Neutral Outlook
Disapproves of CEO
Feb 5, 2014
2 people found this helpful

Top notch design in a struggle managed environment

Current Employee - Design InterninNew York, NY

I have been working at Pentagram Design as an intern (more than an year)

Pros
Name on Resume, Great Client Breadth, Experience from Partners
Cons

Lacking management, No Culture, Teams are oppressed from each other

Recommends
Neutral Outlook
Approves of CEO
1. Aug 16, 2013
3 people found this helpful

Exploitative, unless you're a partner. Some teams are

almost entirely staffed by interns.
Current Employee - Anonymous Employee

I have been working at Pentagram Design

Pros
To get a "prestigious" name on your resume.
Cons
The most exploitative place I've ever worked. Partners make all the profits,
employees are paid non-livable wages and are expected to work crazy hours
to make deadlines. Partners have incentive to take on as much work as
possible, to maximize their profit. Employees never see any of it, and do all of
the work.
Advice to Management
Share the wealth and stop going on those luxurious 5-star resort "retreats".
Doesn't Recommend
No opinion of CEO
Helpful (3)

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http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/pentagram-40th-anniversary-angus-hyland

The five (hence the name) founder members of Pentagram are a ridiclously impressive
collection of design luminaries. But when Alan Fletcher, Theo Crosby, Colin Forbes,
Kenneth Grange and Mervyn Kurlansky came together in 1972 to create a new kind of
design studio, they could never have foreseen how successful their creation would go on
to be. With a cross-discilpine approach and a flat (i.e. no CEO etc) structure they set
themselves up in a way that had the potential to revolutionise the industry, but having
potential and realising it are two very different things.

Pentagram is like a multi-celled organism. If one bit drops off then a couple more get
bolted on, so it changes but it carries the same DNA. Its a gradual evolution rather than a
strategic plan.

Pentagram is like a multi-celled organism. If one bit drops off then a couple more get
bolted on, so it changes but it carries the same DNA. Its a gradual evolution rather than a
strategic plan.

We are always open to any discipline but we do not strategically say we need a filmmaker
or a sculptor. If someone comes along and theyre the right fit then wed jump on it.

https://www.nationalserviceresources.gov/files/pentagram_case_study.pdf

Good Business?
We do pro bono because its good business, says Pentagram partner Paula Scher.
Builds Reputation and Attracts New Clients
Pentagram has retained, strengthened and gained new clients through their pro bono
work
because of its visual appeal and public presentation. A lot of the work weve done is
outside,

public and very visible, so clients will call us because theyve seen the design, says
Scher. I
cant tell you how many jobs Ive gotten through the Public Theater. Were connected
to virtually
every cultural organization in the city and were rewarded in recommendations as
well as being
included in groups where we find out information about upcoming projectsits all
very good
business.
Allows Greater Freedom and Creativity
Pro bono projects tend to happen quickly because of the easier approval process that
exists
within the non-profit administrative structure. These projects also tend to have fewer
restrictions
that allows for greater design creativity. Thank god for the pro bono work, otherwise
my team
would feel like nothing ever got made, says Scher.
Revenue Benefits
By securing new clients and strengthening their reputation for quality and innovative
design, pro
bono work has helped Pentagrams revenue. I just dont understand why more
design firms are
not doing pro bono, unless their incomes are hurt by it. But I have to sayand this
has to be
made clearthat weve made all kinds of donations, and in no way has it done
anything but
helped our income; its just good business.

Evolution of Pentagrams Pro Bono Involvement and Strategy

Pro bono work at Pentagram has been part of the firms culture for decades and is
endemic in
the nature of the partners. Pentagram attracts like-minded people who are conscious
of their
community, desire well-designed environments, and want to be involved as a
graphic force
within their communitypro bono is typical of who we are and what we do.
Pentagrams pro
bono mentality has become inherent in every aspect of their work. Pro bono projects
are highly
desired by all of Pentagrams partners because of their public nature, freedom in
creativity and

community use.
For Scher, and the other Pentagram partners, pro bono work is about the spirit: to
be a
designer and a force within a community, to help make the community a better place
to live, isnt
that what we all want to do?
Work with corporate clients enables Pentagram to accept pro bono projects. These
for-profit
projects span a variety of organizations and have contributed to the prestige of the
firm that in
turn enables them to do even more pro bono work.
I think that its all selfishits all in our own self interest, says Scher. I like to live
in a better
designed world, and I want everyone to have access to it, and we want to give it to
them.
Because of the work Pentagram has done for New York Citys cultural institutions,
nonprofit
organizations, schools and parks, New Yorkers recognize the firms work and
associate it with
having enjoyable areas to be in and walk by. As designers, Pentagram maintains the
desire to
donate because of the self-interest in the business benefits and social impact.
If you do something you like to do, find the people that you can help with it and do
it for them,
advises Scher. Because youre going to do it better for them than you would for the
people who
dont expect it for free.

Pro Bono Management

Project Acquisition
As with paying client work, non-profit organizations approach Pentagram requesting
their design
expertise. Because of Pentagrams co-operative business structure, partners
individually accept
pro bono requests according to the organization, the cause and their teams
availability.
Determining the Amount of Pro Bono
Pentagrams structure also permits a varied schedule of projects that easily
integrates pro bono
work. Because of this, they have been involved in hundreds of pro bono projects.
About 30-50

percent of Pentagrams projects (not time) are pro bono or pro-rated.

Projects can take a few days or several years depending on the relationship.
Employee Involvement
Pro bono projects are chosen and overseen by partners who work in conjunction with
their team
members. Teams consist of a dedicated group of designers and project coordinators
that
typically number between six and eight people.

Lessons Learned
Biggest Challenge
Occasionally an organization will take advantage of pro bono work by demanding
highly
specialized details and expecting a long-lasting relationship. When doing pro bono
work,
people should be considerate of the fact that youre going to invest your best
intelligence and
give it your best shot, but that youre going to try to do it in a minimal amount of
time, says
Scher. Doing your best work has nothing to do the amount of time you spend on it
[for design
work] it has to do with the approval processeswe explain this to them and weve
found that
people are generally very appreciative because it always benefits them. Generally,
people who
come to us are pretty savvy about who we are. If youre coming here, you expect to
get
something terrific.