Quick Facts
Biography
Brian Collins (born 1959/1960) is an American designer, creative director, and educator. He was the Chief Creative Officer of the Brand Integration Group, Ogilvy & Mather, in New York City for nine years (1998–2007), prior to starting his communication and branding firm, COLLINS:.
Ogilvy & Mather
His team's work at Ogilvy includes the design of a fantasy chocolate factory/retail store for Hershey in Times Square, the design of the new Motorola brand, the new Kodak identity program, design development for Coca-Cola and Sprite, the campaign and design program for New York City’s bid for the Olympic Games, NYC2012, and the creation of Helios House, the first LEED-certified gas station, which was built (in 2007) for BP in Los Angeles, with the firm Office dA and JohnstonMarkLee. They were awarded the Grand Clio in Design from the Clio Awards for this project.
In response to the events of 9/11, his team produced the exhibit and book Brotherhood, a tribute to New York City’s firefighters.
Collins’ team also produced a traveling international photo exhibit that explored what “beauty” meant to 60 female photographers. The intent of the exhibit and website, entitled Beyond Compare, was to broaden the definition of beauty to include women of all ages, shapes, and colors. As such it helped launch Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty.”
Collins produced The Ecology of Design, a handbook on environmental design thinking, published in 1996 by the AIGA. He also initiated the annual forum “Designism: Design for Social Change,” sponsored by the Art Directors Club of New York. Panelists discuss the direction of the design industry and explore whether design and advertising demand a “social context.”
Collins
The first work from COLLINS: was the design of the campaign to stop global warming done for the Alliance for Climate Protection, the organization founded by former Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore. The campaign was developed with the Martin Agency of Richmond, Virginia.
COLLINS: was retained by CNN to design The CNN Grill in Denver, Colorado and St.Paul, Minnesota. The combination restaurant/broadcast studios were timed to open during the Democratic and Republican National Conventions and were created as a proof point of the network's “CNN=POLITICS” mantra.
In partnership with the Martin Agency and Gensler, COLLINS: led the brand and design development for the new Microsoft stores.
Collins is a board member of the VCU Brandcenter and the Art Director's Club of New York.
Collins has spoken about communication and design globally, including at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he is a member of the Global Agenda Council/Design.
Collins has taught in the Graduate Design Program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City since 2001.
In July 2013, Collins was appointed to the Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Creative Council, the board which oversees the agency's work globally.
Honors
In 2011, the Microsoft Store was honored by the AIGA as the best design work in the field in its annual review.
In 2009, the firm was awarded a Gold Pencil from The One Show and a Gold Clio from the Clio Awards for their work.
In 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
The Massachusetts College of Art and Design gave its Distinguished Alumni Award to Collins in 2004.
Fast Company magazine named Collins as one of five American “Masters of Design” in 2005.
The National Organization for Women gave his team its Image Award in 2006 for work they did on Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty.
Selected works
BP Helios House / Los Angeles
Olympic Games campaign / New York City
New symbol for the Alliance for Climate Protection
Kodak identity system
Tribeca Film Festival design
Creative Week New York campaign
Dove "Campaign for Real Beauty" photo exhibit
Brand and environment design for the Microsoft Store
New Miller Brewing Co. identity
Avon branding and packaging system
Hershey Store design & experience / Times Square, New York City
Motorola global identity design system
Yahoo identity and design program
Creative development for the NBC Education Nation
