O.H.W. Hadank

Biography

Packaging, trademarks, publicity and industrial design, ex-libris. Born Oskar Hermann Werner Hadank 17 August 1889 in Berlin. 1905-10: studied at the Berlin Unterrichtsanstalt des Kunstgewerbemuseums: one of his teachers was Emil Doepler Jr. 1912-37: designed for publishers such as Cotta, Phönixdruck, Ullstein. 1914-18: military service in German Air Force. 1919: founder member of Bund der Deutschen Gebrauchsgraphiker (BDG; president 1919-24, and later). 1919-49: taught at the Berlin Hochschule für freie und angewandte Kunst (professor, 1939-49). From 1921: designed labels and packaging for numerous industrial clients, particularly for Haus Neuerburg, cigarette manufacturers. Hadank designed cars (for his tobacco client Heinrich Neuerberg, and for Horch) by 1929 and, in the early 1930s, postage stamps and advertisements. 1933: art director and designer of Moden Almanach, published by Neuerburg. By 1934: member of the Berlin Akademie der Künste, department of fine arts. 1936: designed Pelikan logo for Günther Wagner, Hannover. 1943: designed the typeface Ornata (issued by Klingspor, 1950). 1945-9: Professor at the Hochschule für bildenden Künste, Berlin. 1959: elected honorary member of AGI (Alliance Graphique Internationale). Died 17 May 1965 in Hamburg.

Writings by

  • WWGA, 1962.

Writings about

  • 1915-34: frequent appearances in Das Plakat
  • Richard Braungart, ‘O.H.W. Hadank’, Das Plakat, July 1915, pp. 134-49 and supplement
  • F.H. Ehmcke, ‘Wahrzeichen – Warenzeichen’ (trademarks), Das Plakat, Feb. 1921, pp. 69-100
  • ‘Gelegenheitsgraphik’ (New Year cards, etc.), Die Bücherstube, 1924, pp. 97-160, esp. pp. 158, 159
  • Max Osborn, ‘Die neuen deutschen Briefmarken’ (new stamps), Gg, 1925, v. 2, pp. 16-22
  • DdW, 1927
  • ‘Tobacco advertising in Germany’, Commercial Art, 1929, VI, pp. 166-8
  • H.K. Frenzel, ‘Preparatory training for advertising artists’ (interview with O.H.W. Hadank and Ernst Böhm), Gg, July 1930, pp. 2-43 (including work of their students)
  • Hans Neuerberg, ‘The cultural mission of the modern merchant’ (speech at the opening of the House Neuerberg Tobacco Museum), Gg, Sept. 1930, pp. 55-60
  • H.K. Frenzel, ‘Prof. O.H.W. Hadank’, Gg, Jan. 1931, pp. 3-25
  • Gg, Jan. 1932, p. 43 (packaging)
  • ‘Prof. O.H.W. Hadank’, Gg, Jan. 1933, pp. 46-7 (packaging)
  • Eberhard Hölscher, article on wine labels, Gg, April 1933, pp. 2-25, esp. pp. 18, 19
  • Walter F. Schubert, ‘Ausstellung in der Höheren Graphischen Fachschule der Stadt Berlin’ (wine labels), DzS, Oct. 1933, pp. 3-6
  • Eberhard Hölscher, ‘O.H.W. Hadank’, Gg, Nov. 1934, pp. 2-20
  • 1935-40: E. Hölscher, ‘O.H.W. Hadank’, Buchkunst, Leipzig: Akademie, 1935, pp. 59-68
  • H.F. Holt, ‘This cigarette packing question’, Commercial Art and Industry, 1936, XX (Jan.-June), pp. 82-7
  • E. Hölscher, ‘The meaning of exlibris’, Gg, Aug. 1936, pp. 48-53
  • L. Fritz Gruber, ‘Marketing cigarettes in Germany’, Art and Industry, 1937, v. 23 (July-Dec.), pp. 15-22
  • Walter Hofmann, ‘The good press advertisement’ (Leipzig exh.), AfB, 1937, pp. 258-9, plus supplement
  • Lettering of To-day, special number of The Studio, 1937, pp. 122, 126
  • L. Fritz Gruber, ‘Germany packs its luxuries’, Art and Industry, 1939, v. 26, pp. 95-9
  • Gg, July 1939 (special number in honour of Hadank’s 50th birthday), includes: E. Hölscher, ‘O.H.W. Hadank’, pp. 2-8, Heinrich Neuerberg, ‘Hadank at work’, pp. 9-28 plus supplement, Dr Hiemstra, ‘Kaloderma. F. Wolff & Sohn, Karlsruhe i. B.’, pp. 29-39 plus supplement which includes other clients;
  • AfB, 1939, pp. 632 (Haus Neuerburg ad), 637 (logos for Günther Wagner)
  • 1941-present: Max Körner, ‘O.H.W. Hadank zum sechzigsten Geburtstag’, Graphik, 1949, 8, pp. 352-3
  • Karl Hans Walter, ‘Funktion und Gestaltung der Schutzmarke’ (logos), Graphik, 1951, 5, pp. 232-5
  • HS, 1952, p. 58
  • showing of Ornata, Gg, Aug 1953, p. 55
  • Leopold Nettelhorst, ‘Emanation of a personality. Works of former pupils of Professor O.H.W. Hadank, Hamburg’ (Werner Beucke, Nettelhorst, Eduard Sauer, Martin Wilke, Walter Herdeg), Gg, Aug. 1954, pp. 6-39
  • Toni Feldenkirchen, ‘Noblesse oblige’ (ads for Haus Neuerburg), Gg, Aug. 1954, pp. 46-9
  • C.O. Frenzel, ‘O.H.W. Hadank’, Gg, Aug. 1954, p. 55
  • Vollmer, 1955
  • E. Hölscher, ‘The eternally young Pelican firm’ (logos, advertisements), Gg, May 1956, pp. 16-25
  • Gerda Finsterer-Stuber, Marken und Signete, Stuttgart: Julius Hoffmann, 1957
  • O.H.W. Hadank, Eine Auswahl von siebzig Zeichen aus sechs Jahrzehnten, Hamburg, 1959
  • E. Hölscher, Gg, Jan. 1959, pp. 14-21 (Gg covers)
  • ‘O.H.W. Hadank’, Graphik 9, 1960, pp. 4-5
  • ‘125 Jahre Pelikan’, Graphik 7, 1963, p. 2
  • DPM, 1965, illust.
  • A.S., ‘Professor O.H.W. Hadank’ (obituary), Graphik, 1965, 9, p. 45
  • Heiri Steiner, ‘O.H.W. Hadank’ (obituary), Graphis 120, 1965, pp. 304-11, 360
  • HAH, 1991
  • FOS, 1998
  • Steven Heller, ‘OHW Hadank’. baseline, no. 47, 2005, pp. 37-44.