Pentagram New York has entered a significant new chapter with the appointment of industrial designer Piotr Woronkowicz as its newest partner, making him the first product design partner in the studio's New York office. This milestone appointment brings a tactile, intuitive, and sustainability-focused approach to an increasingly digital world.

Woronkowicz, known for his innovative furniture, packaging, and product design work for high-profile clients including Google, Maker's Mark, and Bread Alone, represents a strategic expansion of Pentagram's multidisciplinary capabilities. His appointment signals the renowned design studio's commitment to bridging the gap between digital innovation and physical design experiences.

"I feel honored to be selected as a partner and to get to represent Pentagram industrial design in NYC," Woronkowicz said. "It's even a bit surreal at times to get to collaborate with talent that is in this space."

The partnership has been years in the making, built on successful collaborations between Woronkowicz and Pentagram over recent years. "We realized we complement each other's work," he explained. "Ultimately, I'm excited for what we are going to be able to create together."

Woronkowicz's design philosophy centers on problem-solving and adaptability. Whether working on mass-market bottles or one-off installations, he consistently bridges form, function, and storytelling. "Being a product designer is to be a problem-solver," he said. "Framing the problem and figuring out what the result should be is my process for any design project. I choose what I want to work on and what interests me, so it becomes natural to shift gears."

At the core of his approach is a deep sensitivity to brand identity and context. From bottle geometry to chair engineering, Woronkowicz's work captures both a product's purpose and personality. "You have to completely understand the client or brand and where it currently is, where they want to go, and how they want to be perceived," he explained. "There are many things at play when trying to come up with a form. Intuition plays a massive role as well."

This craft has been refined through years of collaboration with some of the world's most recognizable companies, though recognition itself is never Woronkowicz's primary goal. "An exciting brief to me consists of a true challenge on improving something in people's lives," he said. "I love it when a client comes to me with an idea that they are personally passionate about, for the right reasons. It's telling of how the process will be to bring a design to life."

Sustainability forms a foundational element of Woronkowicz's design philosophy, exemplified in projects like Bread Alone, a family-run bakery championing regenerative agriculture and local food systems. "It's just a foundational element that is required when making any products," he emphasized. "If I can't make a difference in material selections, I'll look into logistics, shipping, disposal and other points of the product's lifecycle. There's always an opportunity to make good decisions for the planet."

Woronkowicz's approach combines idealism with rigor, influenced by industry legends who shaped his career. He studied under furniture design icon Don Chadwick, best known for co-designing the revolutionary Aeron chair, and worked alongside industrial designer Jeffrey Bernett. "This is an easy one," he said when asked about their influence. "Great work will speak for itself. Both Don and Jeffrey focused more on the projects in the studios than on the trade shows or the evening events. The success of their work was a result of this ethos."

Transitioning from running his independent practice, Piotrworks, to joining Pentagram's famous partner-run model feels natural to Woronkowicz. "It's quite similar, actually," he observed. "At Pentagram, all the decisions made on how to run a business are from a designer's perspective. This is the same for small independent studios, where the most important aspect of making the business thrive is the quality of the work. Everything else comes second."

What distinguishes his new role is proximity to other disciplines and opportunities to strengthen every element of a product's journey. "Most products today require branding, graphics, and digital elements when launching," he noted. "I now sit next to the best designers in their field to make sure all these elements of the project have the best talent applied to the right disciplines. There's nothing worse than designing something you love and then seeing a poorly designed label or logo placed on it by someone else."

This multidisciplinary collaboration proves especially relevant as product design navigates new frontiers. In a digital-first world shaped by automation, touchscreens, and artificial intelligence, Woronkowicz observes growing appetite for tactility and return to physical objects that feel good to use.

"I think we are beginning to see a correction of over-adoption of tech," he said. "These things promised to help and save time, but people are realizing that may not be the case for everyone."

He points to the automotive industry as evidence of this shift. "The automotive industry is finally coming around and bringing buttons back into cars after the mass adoption of screens. It's a good sign that industries see that the most advanced tech is not always the right answer."

For Woronkowicz, the future lies in designing physical experiences that enhance digital ones, anchoring high-tech solutions in human behavior. This mindset makes him a sharp critic of everyday objects many take for granted. "As a person who is constantly critiquing everything as I use things on a daily basis, I have a new thought probably hourly," he said.

This philosophy reflects his broader approach to design: thoughtful problem-solving over novelty, quality over hype, collaboration over ego. As Pentagram's New York team enters this new chapter with a product designer at the table, Woronkowicz's appointment serves as a timely reminder that effective design still begins with listening, touching, tweaking, and thinking with one's hands.

The appointment represents more than just personnel change for Pentagram; it signals recognition of the growing importance of physical design in an increasingly digital world. With Woronkowicz's expertise in sustainability, brand sensitivity, and multidisciplinary collaboration, Pentagram New York is positioned to offer clients comprehensive design solutions that seamlessly integrate digital innovation with tactile, human-centered experiences.