Hong Kong, as seen through the work of Henry Steiner

Henry Steiner moved to Hong Kong in 1961 and only intended to stay for nine months at his job as a graphic designer for The Asia Magazine. Finding Hong Kong full of more career opportunities than New York City or other popular destinations for designers, he stayed and ultimately became the “Father of Hong Kong Design” for his work with some of the city’s most recognizable brands. Visuals for Cathay Pacific, HSBC, Hong Kong Jockey Club, Standard Chartered, Wellcome, and many more companies have all come to life through Steiner’s creativity.

Zolima CityMag, a local publication that covers Hong Kong culture, recently published the first volume of its new series Zolima Culture Guide. This first edition features the city’s history through the work of Steiner and the cultural legacy of his designs.

At an FCC Club Lunch attended by Steiner himself, the two writers behind Zolima Culture Guide – Henry Steiner’s Hong Kong sat down with Correspondent Board Governor Jennifer Jett to talk about their new book and how the legendary graphic designer’s work influenced their own lives.

“From the very beginning, we didn’t want to do a biography of Henry Steiner or even a catalogue of his work. It was the story of Hong Kong through his work,” said Christopher DeWolf, who has been writing about the city’s architecture, culture, design, and history for over 20 years.

During the talk, DeWolf explained Steiner’s history in Hong Kong and how his designs were originally formed. Steiner had already arrived with the idea to express himself creatively while still preserving a deep respect and care for local culture, which led to his unique take on blending Western and Chinese visuals in his work.

While “East meets West” concepts have been used by previous designers, Steiner’s work stands out in that he highlighted the extreme differences between each and combined them in unique ways.

“We’re talking about Henry’s perspective as an outsider, somebody who could interpret Chinese characters without even being able to read [them], and yet being able to articulate [their] nuance[s] as a symbol,” said Billy Potts, the co-author of Henry Steiner’s Hong Kong.

Like DeWolf, Potts is also a writer covering Hong Kong’s design heritage. During the talk, he explained that he was a huge fan of Steiner’s designs when starting off with his own design works.

In his first interviews with Steiner, Potts said, he worried that the famed designer wasn’t giving him enough to work with. But upon reflection, Potts realized that Steiner was speaking about himself through the lens of Hong Kong’s design and how he fits into this specific part of the city’s history. It’s this specific angle that helped Potts and DeWolf write the book.

In Potts’ opinion, Steiner’s work, especially the media work he did for various magazines early on in his career, is not just about design, but communication as well. Potts went on to say that every designer in Hong Kong can, at some point, be linked back to Steiner.

“You can see from all of this how Henry is a focal point for design and communication in Hong Kong. If we were — and it wouldn’t take long — to seek out any creative person in Hong Kong, any designer, you wouldn’t have to push very far before you realize that it connects back with Henry,” he said.

Henry Steiner still lives in Hong Kong to this day, over 60 years after his arrival. If one were to walk through Kowloon, much like the walks Steiner, Potts, and DeWolf took when in the process of writing the book, Steiner’s influence is apparent in everything from signs and billboards to bus ads — ultimately shaping daily life in Hong Kong.

“Over 60 years, if you look at all the projects that Henry Steiner has worked on, you’re understanding the story of Hong Kong and how this thing has evolved through the years. That’s what I think makes his work so interesting,” DeWolf said.