Pentagram partner to form his own studio

Pentagram founding partner David Hillman has confirmed he is to leave the consultancy after 29 years to launch his own design group, Studio David Hillman.

Hillman says his decision allows him to concentrate on a more personal approach to design projects, away from the financial pressures and complexities of a large international company. He will take his Pentagram clients and design assistant Amelia Gainford to the new consultancy, which opens for business this week.

‘When I arrived at Pentagram in 1978 the place had the values of a family. We were driven by the desire to do great work, and if we made a little money, that was a bonus. Today, you simply can’t operate in that way. Pentagram has served me well, but now I really want to put all my energies into producing great work,’ he says.

Hillman, whose work includes the seminal redesign of The Guardian in the 1980s and recent redesigns of Times Educational Supplement and The Stage, is the third partner to leave Pentagram in the past two years. His departure follows the exit of Fernando Gutiérrez in August 2006 and John McConnell in March 2005.

‘David has made a major contribution to the success of Pentagram over the past 29 years,’ says Daniel Weil, a partner at Pentagram.