After completing his studies in Göteborg and making study trips to the United States, Hans-Erik Olsén was hired as a commercial illustrator at the printing company Meyer & Köster in Gothenburg. He later became head of the studio at Laurins Litografiska AB, then moved on to Västsvenskt Kartonnage, and in 1949 he was recruited by Wezäta as manager of its branch office in Malmö.
Olsén took part in several exhibitions abroad, including in London in 1937 and in 1946 in the United States at The Cleveland Student’s Poster Art Exhibition. He won a number of poster competitions, among them one for Upsala Sparbank in 1941. The poster depicts a piggy bank and a drawing board with the slogan: “All good children save their pennies.”
During the 1940s, the business magazine Affärsekonomi had a jury that selected “the best poster” each quarter. In the first quarter of 1941, Olsén’s poster for Ångfartyg AB Götha was chosen as the best. The poster was praised in a half-page review.
In an interview with Götha’s managing director, he was asked how the poster had come about. The answer was: “It was produced at the printing house.” The creator behind the work, Hans-Erik Olsén, was not mentioned.
In 1945, Olsén—who was from Gothenburg—was elected as a member of the association Svenska Affischtecknare (SAFFT), which at the time consisted of 95 percent Stockholm-based members.
Most of Olsén’s poster production was created early in his career.
As he advanced into managerial positions, he produced fewer illustrations and posters himself and focused more on administration. However, he still took on occasional side commissions designing posters for clients such as Svenska Lloyd and Göteborgs och Bohusläns turisttrafikförening.
