Evolution of a design legend

This new, 50th anniversary book about multidisciplinary design group Pentagram is a remarkable piece of print and packaging, full of remarkable examples of design and branding. Published by Unit Editions (see Pulp 7), Living By Design comes in two volumes, a ‘biography’ and a ‘directory’. The former tells the long story of how this uniquely structured independent practice began (in 1972) and evolved, while the latter presents the work of every partner then and now, from founders Theo Crosby, Alan Fletcher, Colin Forbes, Kenneth Grange and Mervin Kurlansky to more recent recruits, including Matt Willey and Yuri Suzuki. Familiar names include Harry Pearce, who redesigned the identities for both Fedrigoni (Pulp 21) and Fabriano (Pulp 23), and whose other clients have included the United Nations, human rights charity Witness, Liberty and Berry Bros. & Rudd (see Pulp 18). There are also appearances by designers whose stay in the partnership was brief, such as Astrid Stavro, Peter Saville and Ferdinand Gutiérrez (see Pulp 18). In addition to a selection of writings by partners there is a wealth of archive material and ‘A Pentagram Partners Family Tree’, in which Paula Scher (a partner since 1991) maps the evolution of Pentagram from its London origins to its current international network of 23 partners in Austin (Texas), Berlin, London and New York.