Autorentext

Margaret Calvert (OBE RDI) was born in South Africa in 1936. She moved to England with her mother and sister in 1950 and attended St Paul's school in London before studying illustration and printmaking at Chelsea College of Art. Invited by visiting tutor Jock Kinneir to assist him on the Gatwick Airport signs, Margaret worked with Kinneir on a range of projects during the late 1950s and 60s, including the design of the British road signing system which began with the motorways and concluded with a complementary system for the entire network. Kinneir Calvert and Associates was formed in 1966 and further clients of the studio included the British Airports Authority and British Rail. Margaret taught part-time at the Royal College of Art from 1966 to 2001 and also headed the graphic design department for four years during that time. She has an Honorary Doctorate from the RCA and is a recipient of the Misha Black medal for Distinguished Services to Design Education. This year Margaret was awarded the TDC Medal from the New York Type Directors Club.

Adrian Shaughnessy is a graphic designer, writer and senior tutor at the Royal College of Art, London. He has written numerous books, including a recently published compendium of his design journalism, Scratching the Surface, and monographs devoted to legendary designers Herb Lubalin and Ken Garland. He regularly contributes to design publications and blogs such as Design Observer, Eye, Creative Review and Design Week. In 1988, Shaughnessy co-founded design studio Intro; today he runs ShaughnessyWorks, a consultancy combining art direction, writing, editing and lecturing, and is a co-director of Unit Editions. He is a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale.

Klappentext

The first book dedicated to the work of a pioneer of design for public service, a groundbreaking typographer and recipient of this year's New York Type Directors Club Medal.

Margaret Calvert is one of the most important British graphic designers of our time. Her groundbreaking work on the signs for the British national road network means that it is almost impossible to travel anywhere in the UK and not benefit from her ultra-clear typography and cheerful pictograms. Her work has provided the gold standard for international highway directional signs. In a parallel career she became an inspirational teacher at the Royal College of Art, where for nearly four decades she taught a generation of graphic designers, many of them going on to establish worldwide reputations.

Born in South Africa in 1936, Margaret came to the UK with her mother and sister in 1950. After studying illustration and printmaking at Chelsea School of Art, she was invited by visiting tutor Jock Kinneir to assist him on designing the signs for Gatwick Airport (she had just turned 21). When Kinneir was put in charge of designing a new system for British road signs, it was the beginning of a long working partnership that led to the creation of the now famous road signing for the motorways alongside a complementary approach for the entire network, including pictograms, and onto work for the British Airports Authority, British Rail and the Tyne and Wear Metro in 1980. Margaret designed the lettering for the latter project, which is now available from Monotype as the Calvert typeface.

And now, at a time of unprecedented interest in Margaret's work, which has included a recent Design Museum exhibition, a TV documentary currently in production, and a host of prestigious awards including this year's New York Type Directors Club Medal, there is a book to celebrate her life and work. It is the definitive account of her career as a pioneering typographer, type designer, graphic designer and educator. Lavishly illustrated with rare glimpses into her archive and details of her legendary typefaces, it is designed by Margaret and A2/SW/HK, the studio co-founded by her frequent creative partner (and former student) Henrik Kubel and Scott Williams. The book is edited by Adrian Shaughnessy, with an introduction by Eye magazine editor, John L. Walters and an essay by Margaret's friend and former student Marion Deuchars.