Google hires Patrick Collister as head of design

Collister will join Google in this month and is understood to be replacing Irene Au, who handed in her notice in June 2012.

In his new role, Collister will lead Google’s creative team with the aim of helping ad agencies make the best use of Google products, such as YouTube.

He said: "Loosely, we want to encourage major brands to spend more money online."

Ahead of joining Google, Collister is winding up his business, Creative Matters, which offers a mixture of consultancy and training services.

Collister originally set up the business in 2000 after leaving Ogilvy & Mather, where he was executive creative director and vice-chairman.

He served as a creative director at EHS Brann (now Havas EHS), but left in 2003 after two years. In 2004, he was named as a non-executive director at Profero but he has since departed from that role.

Speaking about his appointment, Collister said: "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."

A spokeswoman for Google declined to comment.

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk