Trip to Pentagram
We got to tour Pentagram’s London office and it was amazing! We got a little bit of a tour of the place, seeing their common areas and their archives. The archives were so amazing and I’d love to spend time going through their history from when everything was done analog.
We met with Samar Maakaroun. An Arab and British creative director renowned for her creatively multilingual approach to design. Her projects were incredible and she gave us a deeper understanding of how the different teams in Pentagram work. They like to hire young designers who they can teach and grow with. Samar says they will only hire people to join their team when the personalities line up as well as their skill level and abilities. Everyone in her team speaks a different language as well as English.
Words of wisdom from Samar that I wrote down during her lecture include:
I need credibility; Malcom Gladwell says 10,000 hours makes you an expert in something. That’s a little over 1 year straight.
put in the time.
You can learn when you take risks. You should be constantly learning and taking risks.
Always try your hardest
Your approach is what makes you stand out.
She believes side projects are important and she wants to see them in portfolios. She wants to see the person in their work.
If you email someone, always include your portfolio. Why not? It takes 60 seconds to view your portfolio
The visit to the office had a slightly intense atmosphere. Although we were grateful for the time, it was evident that our host had pressing commitments, which added a sense of urgency to the experience.
