Henry Steiner is considered as the Father of Hong Kong graphic design. Back when the word ‘graphic design’ was foreign to the ears of the familiar, Steiner was one of the first generation designers to elevate graphic design as a respected profession (Chan).
Steiner first came to Hong Kong in 1961 for a nine-month contract as the design director overseeing The Asia Magazine’s marketing design and its launch, but has been there since (Lazarus). When he established his own company, Graphic Communication (now Steiner & Co.) in 1964, graphic design was still a new concept to the unfamiliar. Steiner always had a fresh perspective on his design approach – thanks to his much exposure towards the Western and Asian context, although he was never one to take the two cultures as it is simply nor does he appropriate them; which as well influenced the origin of his design theory, Cross-Cultural Design.
The Radio 3 motif, 2004.
His ‘free to interpret traditions’ thinking helped produced many influential and phenomenal designs of Hong Kong, where you can still see them in Hong Kong’s environment. He has also mentioned how he works on the basis of not wanting to have a certain ‘look’ to his designs that would immediately point out as “his style”, rather he emphasises on the importance of designing for the client; communicating for the client (Monocle, 6:56).
In Steiner’s words, “Graphic design isn’t decoration and it’s not just about aesthetics. It’s first and foremost a form of communication and persuasion.” (Lazarus). His works still continue to be an example for the designers of Hong Kong until today.
Works Cited:
Chan, Alan, and Stanley Wong. “Graphic and Publication.” 2017. http://www.veryhkveryhk.com/2017/assets/pdf/eng/graphic_publication_en.pdf
Steiner, Henry. The Radio 3 motif. 2004.
Lazarus, Sarah. “Henry Steiner: The King Of Graphic Design”. South China Morning Post, 2019, https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1622030/one-man-brand.
“Making a Mark in Hong Kong: Henry Steiner.” Monocle on Design from Monocle, 7 May 2019,
Amienah Simangoon 