Henry Robertz was a Chicago-based graphic designer known for corporate identity, annual reports and packaging work. He established his own design firm in 1965 and later became a principal of Robertz Webb and Company, a firm that divided its time among corporate identity, corporate publications and packaging.[1][2]
Design and History
Henry John Robertz, known to family and friends as Hank, came to Chicago from Minnesota, where he studied painting at the Minneapolis School of Art and journalism at the University of Minnesota.[1] He started his own company in 1964 and built it into a firm with more than 20 employees, a large size for a field in which two to five was the norm.[2] A 1974 profile in Communication Arts states that Robertz established his own design firm in 1965.[3]
Robertz was a member of 27 Chicago Designers from 1967 to 1987, a prestigious industry association that produced a yearly book showcasing members’ work.[1][2] He also served as past chairman of the group and as a former director of the Society of Typographic Arts (STA).[3] He was a member of the AIGA.[1]
In the early 1970s, Robertz joined three other Chicago design firms, Bruce Beck Design Associates, Blake & Weiss and Mabrey/Kaiser Design, to form The Design Partnership, Inc. Robertz designed the mark for The Design Partnership.[3] The four senior partners were each members of 27 Chicago Designers.[3]
Robertz died in his Chicago home on June 21, 2004, at age 77.[2] His design collection, covering the years 1970 to 1989, is held at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Richard J. Daley Library Special Collections and University Archives.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
Documented symbolism for Robertz’s personal mark is limited. A logo database describes the Henry Robertz symbol as a dot-shaped, rounded logo with a face, designed by Henry Robertz in 1965.[5] However, no primary source confirms the intended meaning behind this personal mark, and the database’s description should be treated with caution.
For The Design Partnership mark, the Chicago Design Archive records that Robertz designed it but does not document its intended symbolism.[3]
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