In Real Life replaces Vidakovic

In Real Life has appointed John Atkinson to the position of senior designer following the sudden departure of Sasha Vidakovic after six months with the consultancy.

Atkinson, who previously worked in advertising and retail design, was working at IRL as a freelance. He joins Glen Stone and Steve Davison as the third senior designer.

Vidakovic left the design and marketing services group two weeks ago after what he describes as “friction” with IRL management. He describes the three-year-old consultancy as “a marketing company with a design department”. The main point of difference, he says, is the attitude to design.

IRL partner Mark Johnson agrees that IRL and Vidakovic have “a different cultural approach”. He says Vidakovic is “very, very talented and a great individualist” while IRL works in teams, including designers, account handlers and the client. “We have a pretty collaborative view of how to get creative solutions,” he says.

Johnson says there are no plans to replace former design partner David O’Higgins, who left in 1997 after about six months with the consultancy.

IRL, which handled last week’s OnDigital launch at Crystal Palace, was set up in 1995 by former Imagination directors Johnson, Richard Zucker and Colin Hatfield.