M+ celebrates Henry Steiner, the “Father of Hong Kong Design” in new exhibition

M+ has launched a new installation as part of the Pao-Watari Exhibition Series which celebrates Henry Steiner, who’s widely recognised as the father of graphic design in Hong Kong.

Born in Austria in 1934, Steiner fled to the U.S. at the age of four when Nazi Germany annexed the country and enforced anti-Jewish policies. While at school, he discovered a talent for using images to tell stories and furthered his studies at Yale University under the renowned American graphic designer Paul Rand. He later relocated to Hong Kong in 1961 amidst the city’s rapid transformation into an international centre for manufacturing, trade, finance, leisure, and tourism.

Steiner’s infrastructural and industry projects have left an indelible mark on Hong Kong’s visual identity. His most definitive, enduring, and broadly seen designs include the Standard Chartered bank notes, which are still in use to this day, and the current brand logos for HSBC, Hong Kong Jockey Club, and Hong Kong Land.

“The banknotes before my design had nothing related to the bank or to Hong Kong; they were dominated by the mythological figures of Greece or Rome,” writes Steiner

As Hong Kong banknotes held a rare practice of not featuring portraits, Steiner chose to incorporate mythical Chinese creatures — aquatic, amphibious, terrestial, and celestial for the 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1000 bills respectively. The reverse displays the city’s iconic harbourfront across different periods. In 2009, he also designed a special 15o-dollar note for the bank’s 150th anniversary featuring the Standard Chartered Bank Building.

The exhibition is split into two sections, one which traces Steiner’s early years and influences, and the other which highlights his most impactful and memorable works ranging from the branding language of Dairy Farm to the legendary opening campaign for Alfred Siu’s radical I-Club which welcomed the attendance of Andy Warhol.

“Often playful, unexpected, and intriguing, Steiner’s methodology enables his designs to reach broad and diverse audiences,” writes M+. “By showing Steiner’s practice through Hong Kong’s flourishing decades, the exhibition elaborates the significance of graphic design in Hong Kong’s distinctive visual culture.”

More details can be found on the M+ website.

Location: M+, 38 Museum Dr, West Kowloon, Hong Kong
Dates: June 15 to November 10

Hero Image courtesy of M+ Hong Kong