another answer to start another week

This is the logo of the National Theatre in London. If you find an attribution anywhere it will, in all probability, say it was designed by FHK Henrion. But it was actually designed by Ian Dennis.

Henrion seems to be largely overlooked these days, but he was the man who was instrumental in introducing modern corporate identity (or branding, as most people call it these days) to the UK. During the 1960s and early '70s he, almost single-handedly, took design from looking like this:-

to looking like this (and this was ground-breaking stuff at the time):-

And, in the process, he laid the ground for Pentagram and Wolff Olins. So, a man who really ought to be on every design student's reading list.

Henrion was a contradictory man and, from bitter experience, not the easiest person to work for. At the time the National Theatre logo was designed his studio was trading as HDA International, and comprised Henrion and three 'design assistants' - Peter Cockburn, Ian Dennis and myself. The studio had been asked by the National Theatre to pitch for their new identity against Pentagram and one other studio (who's name I can't recall).

Ian was something of a 'golden boy' in Henrion's eyes - quite rightly, because he was a good designer (though the Simon Amstell hairstyle might also have helped). Peter and I, on the other hand, preferred to style ouselves as the grumpy young men of Pond Street.

Ian had been assigned to work with Henrion on the presentation (Henrion's working method was to 'conceive' the idea and then get one of his 'design assistants' to carry out the delivery). Somehow (and I guess it was the 'golden boy' status) Ian managed to persuade Henrion that he should also be allowed to pitch an idea. And so Ian designed this:-

I recall Ian coming back from the presentation to the National Theatre board and telling us how brilliant Pentagram's presentation and solution was (I bet it had been done by that Alan Fletcher chap) and that it was bound to win. But, of course, it didn't - and neither did Henrion's.

Which left a very awkward situation in the studio - because Henrion simply wasn't used to being 'slighted'. So the attribution for the design started out as 'designed by FHK Henrion and Ian Dennis', but was replaced after a few months with 'designed by FHK Henrion and executed by Ian Dennis', and eventually became 'designed by FHK Henrion'.

I don't know what happened to Ian (and he probably doesn't know what happened to me). Ian, if you're out there, this sets the record straight.

Comments

[Richard]

A travesty! And interesting design trivia. Thanks for the account. More please.

Also, a brilliant, perfect logo. One of those "smile in the mind" designs. The "cleverness" almost invisible, but once you get it...

You should start a "Where is Ian now" campaign. Actually, that's definitely blog-worthy: a designer "Where are they now" kind of thing.

[ian Dennis]

Ian Dennis is alive and kicking and has been running Indent Design for 30+ years.

Generally keep a low profile, but we've just had a good week:

http://www.indentdesign.co.uk/rdg/rdg.htm

I appreciate the clarification of history very much. Actually I didn't attend the presentation (Henrion didn't let me), but I did think Pentagram would win.

Still feel warm inside when I see the NT logo is still being used.

If you go to indentdesign.co.uk you'll see the Simon Anstell hair went about 7 years back.

Love to all

Ian

[ian Dennis]

More clarifications now I've re-read the above. Sorry, that means I sent the form twice.

Henrion actually (as I recall it) had to go to a conference and hadn't come up with a design with the deadline looming, so he said we could have a go.

I did a first rough idea over the weekend and when he returned he said it needed more work, which involved refining the letterforms. He then produced a more angular union jack based design himself.

He pitched the ideas (he told me) saying mine could be National Truck (If you knew him you'd be able to hear him saying this), and was a bit nonplussed when he had to tell me my idea won. But it gave him some satisfaction to have beaten Pentagram (who had rejected him as a partner).

Still I can't hate the guy. He's given me lots of good stories to tell based on the short time I knew him, and I did get £50 bonus for the design.

I actually redrew it at home (didn't like the way it reproduced, so made all the lines slightly curved) and got a friend at the National Theatre (Richard Bird - a great designer who died of AIDS) to substitute the artwork, but as time went by it got recreated with straight lines again.

PS The other competitor company was Banks & Miles. The sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi dropped out.

Happy to make contact and swap more tales if you want to email

ian@indentdesign.co.uk