Two top design groups join forces in Scotland

Scotland’s James Gardiner Associates and Russell Design have joined forces, creating a new consultancy Gardiner Russell.

All 18 staff – including ten designers – are being kept on, says a spokesman. If anything, more staff will be needed, he adds.

Technically, the deal is a takeover of Russell Design by James Gardiner Associates. “But we like to think of it more as a merger of two like-minded companies,” says the spokesman.

The new group is formed from two of Scotland’s longest established design consultancies – James Gardiner Associates was formed in 1972 in Edinburgh, Russell Design in 1970 in Glasgow. Both offices will be retained.

The groups’ combined turnover is around 1.4m, but the new consultancy is predicting a turnover of more than 1.75m in its first year.

Original founders James Gardiner and Alex Russell will continue to design for the new consultancy.

The deal was signed last week. The consultancy has been informing its clients, a combined list which now includes Bank of Scotland, Glasgow Development Agency, Allied Distillers and Historic Scotland.

Gardiner Russell is expected to continue working mainly in graphics, the field in which both James Gardiner Associates and Russell Design mostly operated.