Seymour Powell duo leaves to set up alone

Two partners are to leave product group Seymour Powell to set up their own consultancy. Adam White and Adrian Berry will launch Factory Design at the end of March.

White and Berry both moved from Pentagram to Seymour Powell eight years ago. They were made partners in 1995. White says: “Leaving is particularly poignant with us having been made partners. We tried to make it work but weren’t able to have the control we wanted over our working lives. Rather than struggle on we decided to set up on our own.”

Although the new consultancy’s registered name will be Factory Design, it will be known as Factory and be based in a former factory in London’s Chelsea. John Powner of Atelier is designing the Factory identity.

Factory will initially be just White and Berry, plus freelances, targeting product and especially transport design. “Packaging and graphics will be part of the plans,” says White.

“We chose Factory as a name because we want to grow the partner level of the company without any problems. Our role model is Pentagram.” White adds that

Factory should have around six staff within the first 18 months.

White and Berry’s departure will leave just Seymour Powell founders Dick Powell and Richard Seymour as partners. Powell says the group will be re-organised: “We haven’t finalised the plans yet, but we will be recruiting new people – we were looking for new staff anyway.”

Powell says the duo’s exit has come “as a shock”. But “these guys made a huge contribution”, he adds. “We wish them all the luck in the world.”