Vale awarded creative director Brian Harrison: he made an impact on both sides of the Tasman

The ad industry on both sides of the Tasman will be saddened to hear of the passing of awarded creative director Brian Harrison, who made his mark at Rialto, Lintas, Saatchi and Saatchi and Colenso in New Zealand and Mojo and GPY&R in Australia.

Friend and former colleague Jeremy Taine emailed CB: “I first worked with Brian at Rialto when I came back from overseas to partner Roy. He was a great ideas man, a fine art director and just a lovely bloke.

“He was also very calm – a good asset at the time when NZ work was just starting to gain attention worldwide. We worked hard and played hard and Brian was proficient at both. We worked together again at Saatchi and continued with the same goals: just to be the best we could creatively.”

Adds his old friend Roy Meares: “Worked with him for many years. I was so fond of him and always admired his ideas and humour. So sad.”

During his career Harrison won major awards including a D&AD pencil, several London International awards and several Cannes Lions. He help launched beer brands with Steinlager and worked on Lion and Waikato.

Read tributes to Brian Harrison on Facebook.

Harrison’s memorial takes place next Saturday 17th January at Devonport Yacht Club.

The outback photo is from at GPY&R when he did the “Where else but Queensland – stay between the flags” tourism campaign; The sailor pic is from Rialto in the 80s. The pic of him shooting on an old Nikon is from Terry Stephens.

Some of his award-winning print ads in the 80s

Harrison made this iconic Watties ad with Len Potts