Hongkong Land, the Hong Kong-based property investment, management and development group founded in 1889, has used a distinctive “H” symbol as its corporate mark for more than five decades. The identity is closely associated with Henry Steiner, the Vienna-born designer widely known as the “father of Hong Kong design,” who is also credited with the HSBC hexagon and the Hong Kong Jockey Club logo.[1]
Design and History
Steiner created the Hongkong Land “H” logo in the 1970s. According to an AFP profile of Steiner, the compact mark features fine white lines running through a thick, bold letter “H,” and it incorporates the company’s initial, the idea of floor plans, and the Chinese character for longevity.[2] The M+ museum in Hong Kong, which holds the Henry Steiner Project Archives, dates the Hongkong Land visual identity work to the 1960s-1970s and confirms that Graphic Communication Limited developed the identity drawing upon the Latin letter “H,” the Chinese character “shou” for longevity, and office floor plans.[3]
In 2025, Hongkong Land unveiled a refreshed corporate identity created by the branding agency DNCO. The refresh retained the original intent of the historic “H” symbol while updating its shape for a digital world and bringing it into three dimensions through motion.[4] DNCO’s project description states that the updated symbol features added depth and dimension, with textures, overlays and perspective shifts inspired by the bridges and elevated walkways that Hongkong Land built.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The “H” symbol is documented as drawing on three sources: the Latin alphabet letter “H” for the company’s name, the Chinese character “shou” (壽) meaning longevity, and the layout of office floor plans.[3][2] The longevity character reference is echoed in DNCO’s description of the symbol as “made for generations.”[5]
Typography and Design
DNCO’s 2025 refresh pairs two typefaces: Univers, chosen for its historical connection to the company, and Noto, a typeface designed to support over 1,000 languages for global reach. The typographic system uses a classic neutral base with accent colours to add energy and modernity to the corporate brand.[4][5]
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