Day 4 6/6/07

10:00 am
Pentagram

Today we attended the much anticipated visit to the design firm Pentagram. A woman named Debbie spoke to us about how the firm is set up and run.

Pentagram was started in 1962 by Alan Fletcher and 3 others. It is such a desirable firm to work for not only because they have done consistant amazing design work for numerous big name clients, but because of the companies socialist and capitalist model. Their exists no titles behind employees at the firm, there is no home office and no "head guy." The whole firm was set up and is run by designers there are no business men etc, due to the fact that the designers want to talk directly to their clients, not through someone else. All partners of pentagram make the same salary as well making the company very collaberative.

Pentagram does work from brand identity to packaging, product design to signage, architecture and interiors and their clients have included Saks Fifth Avenue, Nike, and Tiffany and Co. My favorite client of their; however, is the London based food company named EAT. Pentagram designed everything for this company from their branding and packaging to their restaurant/store interior. I have appreciated EAT in london not only for their fresh tasting food but for the fresh, clean and organized design of their small markets throughout the city.

3:00 pm
Saatchi and Saatchi

Today we got the priveledge to talk to Kate Sanders, the creative director at Saatchi and Saatchi. It was really nice to be able to see and hear a female creative director for a large and successfull advertising firm speak about advertising. I was especially excited to listen to a female who is young, hip, optimistic and almost unfazed by the hardships of being a woman in advertising.

Their reel was the best advertising portfolio I have seen thus far in London, but I especially appreciated their Carlsberg viral ad and all their social cause advertising, specifically their ad for NSPCC an organization set out to stop child abuse. Saatchi and Saatchi seems fairly loyal to creating advertiments for NSPCC and social cause organizations in general, and I really respect them for that.