Often considered the “mother of modern-day information design”, British typographer Margaret Calvert (born 1936) designs are on half the public signage in Britain.
Margaret Calvert.
She is widely recognized for this collaboration with typographer Jock Kinneir, creating an identity for British rail, motorways, airports, and roads.
Transport sans serif original artwork, lowercase letters, tiling system 1957–1964. Image via the British Road Sign Project.
When studying illustration at the Chelsea College of Art, Calvert encountered Jock Kinneir as a tutor and soon joined his office. In 1957, Calvert and Kinneir presented Transport sans serif font for road signs in the United Kingdom. Kinneir and Calvert’s designs changed the British landscape and became a role model for modern road signage all over the world. By the early 60s, Kinneir and Calvert were engaged to create an identity for the British Railway system. Their resulting typeface—Rail Alphabet—was meant to provide viewers on a platform with a clear, effective break from the busy advertisements that surrounded station signs.
Children Crossing Road sign designed by Margaret Calvert, 1965. Courtesy of the British Road Sign Project.
Basic elements of Rail Alphabet. Courtesy doublearrow.co.uk
Dorothy Hayes (1935–2015), a distinguished African American graphic designer and educator, was born in Mobile, Alabama.
Dorothy Hayes. We haven’t established the author of this image. Please contact us if you are the rights owner.
After graduating from Alabama State College, she moved to New York in 1958 and earned her graphic design degree from the Cooper Union School of Art. Just like other people of color, Hayes had to fight the prejudice of her time to pursue a design career.
Artwork by Dorothy Hayes. We haven’t established the author of this image. Please contact us if you are the rights owner.
Hayes was open about the experience she faced: “When I came to New York ten years ago I couldn’t find anybody Black in the commercial art field. Finally, after I found a job on my own, I did start to encounter Black people. But in the course of trying to develop my talent I discovered that if I went to them for some direction, they just wouldn't give it.” Hayes was able to overcome the challenges she faced, and was keen on supporting the Black community in their design aspirations, along with co-curating the Black Artist in Graphic Communication exhibition. Serving as a professor at New York Technical College, Dorothy Hayes also established Dorothy's Door, a commercial design agency.
Contribution by Dorothy E. Hayes to “Black and White: A Portfolio of 40 Statements on a Single Theme”. Please contact us if you are the rights owner.
Black Artist In Graphic Communication Booklet Design by Dorothy Hayes and Illustration by Reynold Ruffins. Please contact us if you hold the rights to this image.