Hans Kleefeld (b. 1929)

Born and educated in Berlin, Kleefeld served a compositor's apprenticeship before arriving in Canada in 1952. In Toronto, he worked at the large art and illustration agency, TDF Artists Ltd., and also at Walsh Advertising in Windsor, before landing perhaps his most important position with Stewart & Morrison. He designed some of Canada's most recognized symbols and identities in his fourteen years there, including Air Canada, TD Bank, Bank of Montreal, and Inco. He was a part-time teacher at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) for 32 years, and continues to teach in the York/Sheridan program today. His work has always emphasized the designer's role as an interpreter, conveying a clear message; for example, the Bank of Montreal's logo originally was to be green and gold, the color of folding money over top of a gold bar, representing solid assets. (It was changed when focus testing showed that blue was preferred.) A celebrated packaging designer, Kleefeld has worked for several years with Don Watt.