Collister nets top Google job

Former EHS Brann and O&M creative chief Patrick Collister has been appointed by Google as the Internet giant’s head of design.
Collister is reportedly joining Google this month and is understood to be succeeding Irene Au, who resigned in June 2012.
As head of design, he will lead Google’s creative team and assist client companies and their agencies make the best use of Google products, such as YouTube, Google+ and Gmail.
Collister started his career as a copywriter in 1979 at BMP DDB, leaving ten years later to become creative director at BWBC, where he stayed for four years. In 1993 he joined O&M as executive creative director, switching to Realtime as the design group merged with EHS Brann in 2001; he left three years later.
He then set up his own consultancy, Creative Matters, as well as The Directory, a publication designed to showcase direct marketing creativity and served as editor of The One Report, which covers creative awards around the world.
In 2008, Collister also had a short spell at Proximity London. It is understood he will be winding up Creative Matters before joining Google.
Collister said: : “We want to encourage major brands to spend more money online. I have been a creative director for 25 years now and the fact that an organisation like Google is looking to a grey-hair like me is very interesting because I think it shows that good old-fashioned understanding of brands, ideas and – dare I say it – people is important.
“Within some digital agencies, people tend to think platforms are a substitute for ideas, but you need both. Technology drives creativity, but it doesn’t lead it.”