Road signs and Margaret Calvert

Interesting piece of British history...
The Daily Mail today ran an article about the lady who designed the road signs for the British transport.  In all honesty, I should say, they are very instructive and precise.  For a newcomer it may look too much of a confusion. But once you get a hang of the driving discipline and understand the signs, it is pretty much a joy to see these signs.  They're practically everywhere! 

The lady credited with creating the colour combination, font, size and some of the signs is Margaret Calvert.  She was ably helped in this endeavour by her graphic designer teacher, Jock Kinneir. 

A few other interesting facts:

• Together they designed the signs for Britain's first motorway, the Preston By-pass, in 1958. The Italians and Germans had their grand autostradas and autobahns since before the war. 
• From the start, their creations were modern, clear and colour-coded (blue and white for motorways, green and yellow for dual-carriageways...)
• The 70mph speed limit was introduced in 1967 by the transport minister, Barbara Castle
• The use of upper and lower cases, was a clear defiance of convention, as they found reading block capitals harder. 
• Neither of them could drive! 
• In 1963, their designs were extended beyond the motorways to all British roads. 
• More than their font, colour and text contribution, it was their pictures that made a distinctive mark on Britain. 
• Cow (for farm animals crossing) was based on Patience, a cow Calvert had seen on a relative's farm
• Children crossing (a girl leading her younger brother by the hand) was designed on her own photograph - though she did not have a brother
• Workmen (man with a shovel)

Initially her designs were mocked by critics as 'common'.  Yet that is what their magic and unique legacy is - common and understandable by everyone! While practically everything else has changed in the country over the past 60 years, the road signs, incredibly, have not.  Because they were perfect in the first place. True indeed, the most unappreciated facts of life are the ones that we use most often!