Henry Steiner

Henry Steiner FCSD (; born Hans Steiner; 13 February 1934) is an Austrian graphic designer, known as the “Father of Hong Kong Graphic Design” – a moniker gained for his graphic designs that have shaped Hong Kong’s visual landscape. Best known for creating branding for many renowned Hong Kong–based companies, most notably the iconic HSBC logo. Henry has also designed identities for various institutions, ranging from hospitality groups to media outlets. These include Standard Chartered, Unilever, Hongkong Land, Dairy Farm, IBM, and The Hong Kong Jockey Club – many still in use today.

Steiner helped pioneer the expression of identity through branding and capture the transformation of Hong Kong from the 60s onwards, incorporating Eastern symbolism into Western graphic design to not only capture a new and relevant identity for the flourishing mixed culture of Hong Kong, but to pave a way for graphic design as a profession in the city.

In Steiner’s book, ''Graphic Communications: Essay on Design'' he commented on his outsider status saying, “Ultimately, it is the context of a design which makes it cross-cultural and this is determined by the designer’s attitude. You don’t have to be an outsider but it helps. Perhaps a French designer, for example, could consciously and objectively communicate something about basic Frenchness to his compatriots but he would first need to be alienated in some way – as are most artists”.

Steiner was included in Icograda's list of the ''Masters of the 20th Century'' in 2002, and was named a ''World Master'' by ''Idea'' magazine. Provided by Wikipedia