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Henri Kay Henrion

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Frederick Henri Kay Henrion
OBE RDI
Born
Heinrich Frederick Fritz Kohn

(1914-04-18)April 18, 1914
Nuremberg, Germany
DiedJuly 5, 1990(1990-07-05) (aged 76)
London, England
OccupationGraphic designer
Spouses

Frederick Henri Kay Henrion (né Heinrich Fritz Kohn; 1914–1990), was a German-born British graphic designer, exhibition designer and poster artist.

Early life and career

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Henrion was born Heinrich Frederick Fritz Kohn on April 18, 1914 in Nuremberg, Germany,[1][2] to Jewish parents.[3] In 1933, Henrion, aged 21,[4] moved to Paris, where he trained in textile design before studying with poster designer Paul Colin. In 1936, he was invited to London at the behest of the British Colonial Office,[5] where he set up his studio[6] and was granted British citizenship in 1946.[7]

World War II

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After the beginning of the Second World War, Henrion was interned on the Isle of Man as a German alien.[7] After a six-month imprisonment, he was released in 1940[1] and subsequently worked for the Ministry of Information and the US Office of War Information, designing posters for campaigns like Dig for Victory, Aid the Wounded, and Grow More Food.[8]

Career

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Corporate identity

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KLM logotype designed by Henrion, in 1961. Modified by Chris Ludlow at Henrion, Ludlow & Schmidt, in 1991.

After the war Henrion became art director at Contact Books, and in 1951 he started his own design consultancy named Henrion Design Associates.[9] Henrion was one of the first graphic designers to form a design studio.[10] As well as creating exhibitions, packaging, and book and magazine design, they worked within the then-emerging concept of corporate identity – with Henrion becoming a pioneer in the field.

His clients included:

Exhibition design

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Alongside his poster, packaging and advertising design work, Henrion was involved in the design of many exhibitions around the world. These included the Publicity Pavilion for the Paris International Fair, and the MARS (Modern Architectural Research Society) exhibition in London. He also worked on projects for the 1938 Glasgow Empire Exhibition, the 1939 New York World's Fair, and the Air France pavilion at the Tel Aviv Levant Fair, 1940.[6]

After the war, Henrion continued to develop a reputation as an exhibition designer.[14] He designed two of the pavilions at the 1951 Festival of Britain: The Country and The Natural Scene.[3]

As educator

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Henrion lectured at the Royal College of Art from 1955 to 1965, and was head of Visual Communication at the London College of Printing from 1976 to 1979.[15] He also worked as an art editor for various publications, and contributed to the Council for Industrial Design's Design magazine.[16]

Affiliations and awards

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Henrion was a member of the Artists' International Association, the Society of Industrial Artists and Designers (later the Chartered Society of Designers), and the Council of Industrial Design; in 1952 he became one of the earliest members of Alliance Graphique Internationale, in which designers from all over the world could meet and share ideas.

He was elected a Royal Designer for Industry in 1959. He was appointed MBE in 1951 and elevated to OBE in 1985.[8]

Henrion was closely involved with design institutions such as the Council of Industrial Design (later the Design Council) and ICOGRADA (International Council of Graphic Design Associations).

Personal life

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Henrion married the British sculptor Daphne Hardy in 1947. Together they had two sons and a daughter. They separated in the 1970s.[17] His second wife was Marion Wesel Henrion.[18]

Henrion's archive and library

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Henrion's archive is held at The University of Brighton Design Archives. It covers his entire career and comprises correspondence with clients, original artwork, examples of packaging and graphic design and photography. It also includes Henrion's personal library of books on graphic and industrial design, typography and advertising, which is now fully searchable on the University's Library system.

Photographs of Henrion's work featured at the Britain Can Make It Exhibition (1946) and The Festival of Britain (1951), have been made available on the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS), along with examples of his Wartime posters.

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  • Profile of a young man in red stripes against a blue background Wellcome L0026427
    Profile of a young man in red stripes against a blue background Wellcome L0026427
  • Action Stations Art.IWMPST16460
    Action Stations Art.IWMPST16460
  • His Needs Come First Art.IWMPST16454
    His Needs Come First Art.IWMPST16454
  • Winter Meals from a Well-planned Plot Art.IWMPST17019
    Winter Meals from a Well-planned Plot Art.IWMPST17019
  • Poison Gas Exhibition Art.IWMPST3682
    Poison Gas Exhibition Art.IWMPST3682

References

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  1. ^ a b "FHK Henrion | Royal Designers for Industry & Britain Can Make It, 1946". blogs.brighton.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  2. ^ "Heroes – F.H.K. Henrion | Designers Journal". Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Frederick Henrion - Ben Uri Research Unit". www.buru.org.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  4. ^ Butler, Andy (2 January 2014). "FHK Henrion: the complete designer". designboom | architecture & design magazine. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  5. ^ "Visual Communication | F.H.K. Henrion | Pidgeon Digital". www.pidgeondigital.com. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Frederick Henri Kay Henrion". German Graphic Designers. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  7. ^ a b "F H K Henrion: posters with humour and identity | London Transport Museum". www.ltmuseum.co.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  8. ^ a b Gentleman, David (September 2004). Henrion, (Frederick) Henri Kay (1914–1990). Vol. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press.
  9. ^ "Heroes: FHK Henrion". Designers Journal. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  10. ^ Inglis, Theo (2023). Graphic Design Bible: The Definitive Guide to Contemporary and Historical Graphic Design for Designers and Creatives. Prestel Verlag. p. 44. ISBN 978-3-7913-8990-5.
  11. ^ a b "New Brighton documentary reveals the private world of design pioneer FHK Henrion". University of Brighton. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  12. ^ Wainwright, David (1967). "Red Letter Days for the Post Office". Design Journal: 32–35.
  13. ^ "FHK Henrion: graphics as propaganda in World War II". Woudhuysen. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  14. ^ "FHK Henrion Archive". The Archives Hub. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  15. ^ "London Transport museum poster collection".
  16. ^ "FHK Henrion". University of Brighton Design Archives. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  17. ^ "The woman Koestler called G". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 December 2003. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  18. ^ "FHK Henrion: Designing from Home | University of Brighton Design Archives". blogs.brighton.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2025.

Further reading

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  • Fiell, Charlotte; Fiell, Peter (2005). Design of the 20th Century (25th anniversary ed.). Köln: Taschen. p. 322. ISBN 9783822840788. OCLC 809539744.
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  • Media related to Henri Kay Henrion at Wikimedia Commons
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