Boots loses its head of design

Boots the Chemists design head Peter Ramskill has resigned from the company, leaving a senior vacancy. His official job of brand design advisor at Boots has not yet been filled.

Ramskill will leave the retail group within three weeks to set up his own graphic design consultancy, Pete Ramskill Design.

“We are going to review his role and responsibilities, but it is too early to say any more,” says a Boots spokeswoman.

Ramskill aims to establish a design consultancy from his Nottingham home, initially using freelance staff, having spent some 12 years with Boots. He has worked across graphics, literature and environmental design, as well as strategy, for the retailer.

Any successor to Rammskill would work alongside Boots head of marketing services Mike Parker and Joanne Millington, who heads brand environments.

Ramskill plans to recruit full-time design staff as his new business develops. He plans not to grow the number of staff beyond a maximum of between six and ten people.

“I intend to do the exact opposite of all those monolithic design companies which are too big to be able to work quickly enough for their clients,” he says.

Already lined up for Ramskill’s consultancy is a project to design the identity for a new television production company set up by comedian Steve Coogan. Ramskill doesn’t rule out the possibility of the consultancy working with Boots in the future.

Boots has appointed Lippa Pearce Design, which has previously worked on Boots photographic packaging, to look at product packaging for its newly-announced e-photo centre. US-based e-business consultancy Scient is developing the Boots e-photo venture from its London office.