Designer Desire: Margaret Calvert

Even if you’re not that much of a fan or know that much about graphic design, Margaret Calvert will surely have had an influence on your life.

Calvert (b. 1936), with her former teacher at Chelsea College of Art, Jock Kinneir designed the signage for the burgeoning motorway system. Ironically, at the time, neither Calvert nor Kinneir could drive.

As well as the signage for the nation’s road and rail, Calvert & Kinneir designed the accompanying typefaces. Motorway was first used in 1958 on the M6 Preston bypass (now part of the M6). It’s also been adopted on the road networks of Ireland and Portugal. Rail Alphabet, designed in 1965, was first used at London’s Liverpool Street Station. It would later be adopted by the NHS in England, Scotland and Wales for its signs. It continues to be the dominant typeface used on signs in older hospitals. It’s also been adopted by British Airports Authority and by Danish railway company, DSB.

Calvert re-imagined her ‘Man at Work’ sign as a ‘Woman at Work’ artwork (compare the top pair of road signs). She also updated her ‘Children Crossing’ sign in 2016 (the girl was based on a childhood photo of herself); can you spot the differences?

She was responsible for designing the Tyne and Wear Metro typeface in 1977. It was later updated and evolved to be used, in 1992, as 3D external signage for Royal College of Art.

In her own words:

We never decided, ‘Oh, let’s brand the United Kingdom’… but as with London black cabs and red buses… You thought of everything from the standpoint of: ‘What if I am at the wheel, doing speeds of over 70mph?’
I like the idea of designing for the larger public… Design is a service. The term graphic design didn’t exist then. They called it commercial art. It’s not designing from a fashion point of view, it’s purely logic, function and aesthetics. And you can’t get simpler.

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Additional image credits:

It’s Nice That

Price Points: Plastic-free toilet brushes

We’ve got a sexy subject for you as this week’s Price Points… plastic-free toilet brushes!

Considering they’re, admittedly, quite dull items, I’ve spent a fair amount of time researching them on the internet this week. Little by little, we’re trying to cut down on the amount of plastic – both single use and multiple use – that we use. At the moment, we need a new toilet brush, so this is an opportunity on our plastic reduction journey.

I found ‘eco’ examples where the handle was made of wood – so far, so good – but the bristles on the brush were plastic. Or else, the brush was entirely natural, but the holder was plastic. These three, above, are all entirely plastic-free.

#1 is great value, however, it’s the only one that doesn’t come with a holder and I don’t fancy hanging it up by the handle to leave it to drip-dry.

#2 is no-nonsense and unobtrusive – my favourite, in fact. When not in use, the business end is hidden from view, but is quick to put into action.

#3 is probably the most ‘designed’ with a dual-action brush for cleaning the bowl and under the rim. It slots into a hanging bracket, so excess water drips into the pottery saucer below. My favourite model would have been this one if the brush had been concealed in its stand.

Natural coconut fibre toilet brush: £4.49, Amazon
Utility enamel toilet brush holder with natural fibre brush: £28.49, eBay
‘High quality enamelled steel (holder); brush has wooden handle with natural stiff plant fibres.’
Redecker untreated beechwood loo brush and stand with edge cleaner: £34.95, Trouva
‘Redecker brushes are manufactured, as they have been for decades, primarily from native woods, bristles, hair or vegetable fibres. Different natural materials are used to suit various purposes. Synthetic fibres or plastics are rarely used, only for special requirements.’

shop plastic-free toilet brushes

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