91快活林

The film, produced by researchers at the and the Centre for Design History, provides an intimate view into the life of Frederic Henri Kay Henrion, credited as one of the world’s pioneering graphic designers of the post-war era. Henrion was of Jewish heritage and fled Nazi Germany in 1933, moving first to Paris and then to London in 1936, where he worked on wartime propaganda projects for the UK Ministry of Information and the US Office of War Information.

Titled “Designing from Home”, the 16-minute documentary traces Henrion’s life from his early years in Britain onwards, through the eyes of his four children, as well as showcasing rarely seen archival materials of Henrion’s work, held at the .

The archival documents cover the breadth of Henrion’s career, and include original artwork, photographs, and graphic design outputs such as posters and advertising, as well as extensive documentation of his later corporate identity work.

Dr Sue Breakell and Dr Harriet Atkinson

FHK Henrion in his studio. PC: Colin Tait (by courtesy of the Henrion estate)

The documentary features newly filmed interviews with Henrion’s family and shows the interplay between domestic life and design practice, highlighting how creativity flourished within the everyday routines of family life. It closely explores how his Hampstead home became both a family space and a hub of creative activity until his death in 1990.

Among the best-known identities created from Henrion’s studio are those for Tate and Lyle, the National Theatre and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. 

He also taught at the Royal College of Art and the London College of Printing and was closely involved with design institutions such as the Council of Industrial Design (later the Design Council) and (now known as ICoD), whose archive is also held at the Design Archives.

, design historian and co-director of the film, said: “In exploring the house where Henrion lived and worked, we wanted to show how family life, migration, and design practice intertwined, and how these domestic settings shaped the post-war design landscape in Britain.”

FHK Henrion and Daphne Hardy Henrion, PC: Anneli Bunyard

, Director of the , and co-director of the film, said: “The Henrion house offers a remarkable window into the personal and professional worlds of one of Britain’s great design figures. This film captures how a home can be both a sanctuary and a site of creative production.”

Designing from Home follows Dr Atkinson’s earlier documentary Art on the Streets (2023), and was produced with , with funding from the the University of 91快活林’s School of Art and Media and School of Humanities and Social Science, and the Centre for Design History.

As an art editor of various publications, Henrion developed a reputation as a designer of exhibitions and went on to establish his own design consultancy, working with several companies across Europe.

The film will initially be shown through special screenings at cultural, heritage, and educational institutions, as well as at documentary film festivals, before later becoming available online. Screening details will be announced via the University of 91快活林 Design Archives .