One of the most ambitious and influential information design projects in Britain is the road and motorway signage system developed by Jock Kinneir (1917-1994) and Margaret Calvert (1936-) between 1957 and 1967. Their system, intellectually rigorous yet highly practical, has become a global model for road signage.
In the 1950s, the government planned to build hundreds of miles of motorways to accommodate the surge of British motorists. Existing road signs were often confusing and dangerous, especially at high speeds. The government tasked Kinneir and his assistant, Calvert, with creating a new signage system, starting with motorways. They designed a clear, coordinated system using specific lettering, colors, shapes, and symbols for both motorways and general roads.
Kinneir and Calvert approached the project from an information design perspective, aiming for maximum clarity and readability. They developed a new typeface, Transport, which combined upper and lower case letters for better legibility at speed. Softer and more approachable than the sharp modernist lettering used in Europe, it was tested and refined to suit British drivers.
Their designs featured white lettering on blue for motorways, and yellow on green for primary roads. They also used reflective materials for improved night visibility, and adjusted the font weight to ensure readability. The system followed the 1949 Geneva Protocol, using shapes like triangles for warnings and circles for commands.
Margaret Calvert also created many of the pictograms, such as the iconic cow and children crossing signs, which were inspired by personal experiences. Their work was tested, refined, and approved, despite some initial criticism that the signs were too large or bold.
Kinneir and Calvert’s system was widely successful and later adapted for use on other roads. Their designs have influenced road signage worldwide and are still in use today, though some modifications over the years have compromised the original crispness. Their work remains a testament to effective information design, even if it is often taken for granted. (hs)
