Paul De’Ath, the former Strategic Manager at Samsung European Design, has joined branding agency 1HQ as head of Product Design.
De’Ath’s career began in public transport design before moving to Samsung in 2004. At Samsung he developed his thinking around user-centred design processes and the realisation of user experiences. Most recently, Paul has built a strategic design team within the Samsung European Design Office; to deliver strategy and create devices for the Corporate Design Centre. His responsibility has been to coordinate multiple teams to deliver a wide range of projects across sectors and disciplines through a holistic approach; from the development of future digital home appliances to the creation of the second generation of global design strategy and involvement in the definition of a European Brand Strategy.
Photo:Paul De’Ath, new Head of Product Design at 1HQ
De’Ath says, “I’m a strong believer in aligning creativity and strategy. I’ve had a lot of experience in working with creativity and strategy as two distinct areas, and it was the philosophy of combining the two which attracted me to 1HQ. I’m excited by the opportunity to work across the creative and strategic divisions and help create a comprehensive solution to product design.”
Mark Artus, CEO at 1HQ says, “We are delighted to welcome Paul to 1HQ. For us as an agency, bridging the gap between strategy and creativity to deliver commercial success is so critical to our process. This was one of the main reasons why Paul wanted to develop his career with 1HQ.
We clearly understand the importance of this transition and few consultancies offered it to him at Samsung. Paul will bring his wealth of creative experience, but perhaps more importantly he will also bring this client side understanding. It has often been a failing of many consultancies to not understand client side process, so we hope that Paul’s knowledge will help us to become stronger consultants of value in this area. Coming from client side, he understands the way the industry thinks and the everyday challenges faced by brands. The acquisition of someone with such in-depth commercial design experience will develop or collaborative offering to a new level. Paul is the perfect appointment to align our creative and strategic divisions.”