Pearlfisher appoints two design heads

Pearlfisher has brought in two design group heads to allow founding creative partners Jonathan Ford and Karen Welman time to concentrate on the consultancy’s strategic development.

Ashley Carter, a former design director at Wickens Tutt Southgate, and Shaun Bowen, previously a senior designer at Lewis Moberly, started in the new positions this week. They will manage creative resources for all projects.

The two divisions will be split on an informal basis, rather than by client type. “It’s a way of breaking up the studio,” says a spokeswoman.

Each team will have four staff designers, with numbers topped up by freelance creatives, she says. Designer Sarah Butler also joined the group from Lippa Pearce last week.

Until now, Ford and Welman have controlled creative output as well as running the five-year-old branding consultancy. Ford says the appointments will “contribute greatly to the next phase of our development”.

Pearlfisher is becoming more involved in corporate identity work, as well as its more traditional disciplines such as packaging and new product development.

There are no plans for major increases in staff numbers. “We’ve always seen Pearlfisher as a group of around 20 people,” says Ford. The consultancy is currently 18-strong.