Frederick Henri Kay Henrion, 1914-1990

F H K Henrion (1914-1990) was a British-based designer of international renown, his design work encompassing posters, exhibitions, corporate graphic design and advertising. Among his best known logos are those for Tate and Lyle, the National Theatre and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. He was also closely involved with design institutions such as the Council of Industrial Design (later the Design Council) and ICOGRADA (International Council of Graphic Design Associations).

Henrion was born in Nuremberg, Germany, moving to Paris in 1933 where he studied textile design under Ted Levy before joining the poster design school of Paul Colin, later moving to London. He was interned as an enemy alien on the Isle of Man at the beginning of the Second World War. After his release in 1940 he was employed as a graphic designer by the Ministry of Information and the US Office of War Information, producing a number of well-known designs of the period, including 'Dig for Victory'. After the war, he developed a reputation as a designer of exhibitions and went on to establish his own design consultancy, working with many major British and international companies to develop their corporate identities.

Henrion also worked as an art editor for various publications, and contributed to the Council for Industrial Designs Design magazine. Teaching at the Royal College of Art and the London College of Printing reinforced his influence as an educator, and he was an active and prominent figure in professional design organisations, including the Society of Industrial Designers (later the Chartered Society of Designers).

From the guide to the F H K Henrion Archive, 1936-1990, (University of Brighton Design Archives)