走進「香港平面設計之父」的圖語世界。
自六十年代初落戶香港，石漢瑞（Henry Steiner）整整二十年都住在西營盤一所酒店裡（文末為Steiner親自撰寫的英文原文《Home away from home》）。像他這樣一個沒有「nesting DNA」的無根者，卻在近半世紀，用上各種符號語言建構出這個看得到的「家」－滙豐銀行、香港置地和牛奶公司等商標，俯首抬頭，總會遇上他的作品，這些形狀、顏色和文字設計迥異的商標，沉默地訴說設計者的情感與品牌概念，也塑造出在香港邁向現代化城市進程中的獨有視覺景觀。
最廣為人所知的，也許是滙豐的六角形logo。本身亦是設計師的收藏家John Wu笑說，剛入行時，前輩解釋「兩個箭咀向入，兩個箭咀向出」，代表金錢有出有入；多年後John聽到石漢瑞親身解話，原來只屬民間猜測。翻查當年剪報，實際用途是為了突出以往一直沿用「聖安德烈十字」符號中的「x」型，暗示與蘇格蘭的淵源；另一方面，則是幾何美學的考量，原意以兩條對角線畫出兩個三角形，取紅、白兩色，但為了顯現白色三角形，於是把紅色三角形加在外邊。設計言簡意駭，取代了1983年前極富殖民地色彩的「盾形紋章」，是品牌邁向現代化的大躍進。
即使是異鄉人，石漢瑞對東方文化理解得透切又貼地－在1978年設計渣打銀行的鈔票時，摒棄政治和歷史人物，採用中國神獸做代表，而他的最愛，竟是印著錦鯉的「10蚊紙」，因為「鯉躍龍門，升價十倍」；而另一張150年周年的渣打鈔票，以日本人看富士山的浮世繪作靈感，呈現幾代香港人看維港，賞心悅目，又不失人文情味。
《石漢瑞的圖語世界》
即日起至5月30日
香港知專設計學院HKDI Gallery
《Home away from Home》- Henry Steiner
Twenty years ago, I moved into a medium sized hotel West of Central. I have lived there since.
Until then, since arriving in Hong Kong in 1961 I had lived in apartments. For various reasons the move to the hotel made sense as a temporary pied a terre. But as I kept extending my stay, I realized how well the hotel suited me.
It’s located a short drive, by taxi or mini bus, from my office. It’s also close to the MTR station and around the corner from the tram stop. (Trams are one of my favorite things in Hong Kong.)
Mornings, I can leave my hotel room in an untidy state and by evening the elves have sorted it out, as if for the next guest.
Most weekend mornings I descend to the restaurant and its buffet breakfast. As appropriate, the lobby is a convenient meeting point.
I don’t seem to have the ‘nesting’ DNA which would make me want my own idiosyncratic space and which would reflect me and my tastes. (Of course, my office is the real home, library, workshop and communication centre.)
The hotel is a place to sleep and a rendezvous with friends as appropriate; a compact, efficient space, where I can come and go as I please.
One might make the argument that this comfortable, effortless way to reside could be the way more people will live the future. For what it’s worth, I can recommend it.
And after twenty years living in the charming, down to earth Sai Ying Pun neighborhood I’m happy to say: so far, so good.
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