The Flickr Designresearchunit Image Generatr

The cover to the October 1963 issue of the magazine "Transport Age" publication of which had started under the auspices of the British Transport Commission but that had been published by British Railways since January 1963 when the BTC was abolished. The cover shows the "new" rail freight symbol that was part of the intention to "mark a new approach to freight traffic" on the railways; this was, of course, part of the serious restructuring of British Railways that was being undertaken by the new Chairman of British Railways, one Dr. Richard Beeching. Beeching was determined to 'modernise' to make railway more efficient and the issue of rail freight was seen as being as important as passenger traffic.

The new look with the bright yellow livery included the Rail Freight symbol that was designed by Ronald Sandiford of the Design Research Unit - an organisation whose work was to play a large part in the development of the 'new' image of British Railways that would lead to British Rail being launched in 1965. The photo is credited to Otto Karminski (1913 - 1982) who was a noted photographer.

I actually have quite a liking for this clevery conceived corporate identity that was commissioned by the brewery group Watney Mann Ltd in 1966 from the Design Research Unit. At the time Watney Mann were, like many other major brewers, busy acquiring many smaller regional concerns, and the subject of a corporate identity for the design of disparate elements such as advertising, publicity, packaging and architecture was being considered by many such companies.

Watney Mann went to one of the greats - the Design Research Unit who at the time were probably at the peak of their powers - in the early to mid 1960s they, for example, undertook the rebranding of British Rail and did the design specification for London Transport's new Victoria line Underground. This project is credited to one of their founding partner's, Milner Gray, but also nicely credits other involved. Watney Mann, instead of sweeping away their regional subsidiaries and brands, realised that they had considerable local loyalties that could be retained and exploited. The clever trick was to present them in within a single 'look' across the whole group. The identity was also capable of a degree of adaptation, such as for differing styles of public house or property architecture, so as to be more sympathetic to a particular age or style of pub. The look was also carried across bottle labels, pump clips and vehicles. The graphic design and style was also suitably robust enough to speak to previous brewery styles without being too retro - a clever trick.

All in all it reminds me of the work we did at London Underground some years ago on design specifications for different thematic groups of stations - by company, architect or age so as to look sympathetic to each 'type' yet part of the Underground system and 'look'. Watney Mann staged an exhibition of their new look at the London Design Centre along with the Council of Industrial Design who were keen to showcase the approach. The exhibition design itself is a gem - even down to that street facade of public houses to show how the 'look' could be applied and much use of the various now long lost local brewery names.

I actually have quite a liking for this clevery conceived corporate identity that was commissioned by the brewery group Watney Mann Ltd in 1966 from the Design Research Unit. At the time Watney Mann were, like many other major brewers, busy acquiring many smaller regional concerns, and the subject of a corporate identity for the design of disparate elements such as advertising, publicity, packaging and architecture was being considered by many such companies.

Wattney Mann went to one of the greats - the Design Research Unit who at the time were probably at the peak of their powers - in the early to mid 1960s they, for example, undertook the rebranding of British Rail and did the design specification for London Transport's new Victoria line Underground. This project is credited to one of their founding partner's, Milner Gray, but also nicely credits other involved. Watt Mann, instead of sweeping away their regional subsidiaries and brands, realised that they had considerable local loyalties that could be retained and exploited. The clever trick was to present them in within a single 'look' across the whole group. The identity was also capable of a degree of adaptation, such as for differing styles of public house or property architecture, so as to be more sympathetic to a particular age or style of pub. The look was also carried across bottle labels, pump clips and vehicles. The graphic design and style was also suitably robust enough to speak to previous brewery styles without being too retro - a clever trick.

All in all it reminds me of the work we did at LondonUnderground some years ago on design specifications for different thematic groups of stations - by company, architect or age so as to look sympathetic to each 'type' yet part of the Underground system and 'look'. Watney Mann staged an exhibition of their new look at the London Design Centre along with the Council of Industrial Design who were keen to showcase the approach. The exhibition design itself is a gem - even down to that street facade of public houses to show how the 'look' could be applied and much use of the various now long lost local brewery names.

Next Generation Footbridges
Network Rail are developing a catalogue of next generation of footbridges planned to be launches across the UK rail network over a 5 year program. The new range of designs will, for the first time, provide projects with a choice of architectural, optimally engineered structures that allow for more local choice, while significantly improving passenger experience.
All designs use the lift enclosure as part of the vertical structure to support the footbridges. This greatly economises on structure, helping to clear the clutter normally found on platforms.
Each footbridge has been reviewed by the BEAP (Built Environment Accessibility Panel) and the NRDAP (NR Design Advice Panel) for accessibility and visual impact.

Rail Alphabet 2
Rail Alphabet and the Design Research Unit's corporate identity remained in use by British Rail until the re-privatisation of the railways in the early 1990s. The new companies promoted their own individual commercial identities. Today, Britain's railway infrastructure is owned and operated by publicly owned Network Rail. It has embarked on a system-wide reassessment of its graphic identify, with the aim of creating a coherent approach throughout the stations that it controls.
Calvert and Kubel were commissioned in 2019/20 to design for this purpose a customised typeface that related to the original Rail Alphabet. The result was Rail Alphabet 2. Unlike any of Calvert's previous work, this letterform was designed specifically for both use on signing systems and as a digital text face. The typeface has a special weight for signs, and three weights with italics for Network Rail publications.

Margaret Calvert: Woman at Work
(May - August 2021)

With a career spanning six decades, graphic designer Margaret Calvert has produced timeless work that we see everywhere — often without realising it. Whether it is the design of the UK’s road signing system, with Jock Kinneir, wayfinding at railway stations and airports, or the typeface used on the gov.uk website, with Henrik Kubel, her work shapes much of our national visual identity.
This display marks the launch of Network Rail’s new customised typeface, Rail Alphabet 2, designed by her in close collaboration with Henrik Kubel in response to a new wayfinding system at Network Rail stations designed by Spaceagency. It will eventually be used in combination with a suite of bespoke pictograms to sign Network Rail’s stations, and as a text face for all their key built environment design publications.
[Design Museum]

Taken in the Design Museum

Rail Alphabet 2
Rail Alphabet and the Design Research Unit's corporate identity remained in use by British Rail until the re-privatisation of the railways in the early 1990s. The new companies promoted their own individual commercial identities. Today, Britain's railway infrastructure is owned and operated by publicly owned Network Rail. It has embarked on a system-wide reassessment of its graphic identify, with the aim of creating a coherent approach throughout the stations that it controls.
Calvert and Kubel were commissioned in 2019/20 to design for this purpose a customised typeface that related to the original Rail Alphabet. The result was Rail Alphabet 2. Unlike any of Calvert's previous work, this letterform was designed specifically for both use on signing systems and as a digital text face. The typeface has a special weight for signs, and three weights with italics for Network Rail publications.

Margaret Calvert: Woman at Work
(May - August 2021)

With a career spanning six decades, graphic designer Margaret Calvert has produced timeless work that we see everywhere — often without realising it. Whether it is the design of the UK’s road signing system, with Jock Kinneir, wayfinding at railway stations and airports, or the typeface used on the gov.uk website, with Henrik Kubel, her work shapes much of our national visual identity.
This display marks the launch of Network Rail’s new customised typeface, Rail Alphabet 2, designed by her in close collaboration with Henrik Kubel in response to a new wayfinding system at Network Rail stations designed by Spaceagency. It will eventually be used in combination with a suite of bespoke pictograms to sign Network Rail’s stations, and as a text face for all their key built environment design publications.
[Design Museum]

Taken in the Design Museum

Rail Alphabet 2
Rail Alphabet and the Design Research Unit's corporate identity remained in use by British Rail until the re-privatisation of the railways in the early 1990s. The new companies promoted their own individual commercial identities. Today, Britain's railway infrastructure is owned and operated by publicly owned Network Rail. It has embarked on a system-wide reassessment of its graphic identify, with the aim of creating a coherent approach throughout the stations that it controls.
Calvert and Kubel were commissioned in 2019/20 to design for this purpose a customised typeface that related to the original Rail Alphabet. The result was Rail Alphabet 2. Unlike any of Calvert's previous work, this letterform was designed specifically for both use on signing systems and as a digital text face. The typeface has a special weight for signs, and three weights with italics for Network Rail publications.

Margaret Calvert: Woman at Work
(May - August 2021)

With a career spanning six decades, graphic designer Margaret Calvert has produced timeless work that we see everywhere — often without realising it. Whether it is the design of the UK’s road signing system, with Jock Kinneir, wayfinding at railway stations and airports, or the typeface used on the gov.uk website, with Henrik Kubel, her work shapes much of our national visual identity.
This display marks the launch of Network Rail’s new customised typeface, Rail Alphabet 2, designed by her in close collaboration with Henrik Kubel in response to a new wayfinding system at Network Rail stations designed by Spaceagency. It will eventually be used in combination with a suite of bespoke pictograms to sign Network Rail’s stations, and as a text face for all their key built environment design publications.
[Design Museum]

Taken in the Design Museum

Rail Alphabet 2
Rail Alphabet and the Design Research Unit's corporate identity remained in use by British Rail until the re-privatisation of the railways in the early 1990s. The new companies promoted their own individual commercial identities. Today, Britain's railway infrastructure is owned and operated by publicly owned Network Rail. It has embarked on a system-wide reassessment of its graphic identify, with the aim of creating a coherent approach throughout the stations that it controls.
Calvert and Kubel were commissioned in 2019/20 to design for this purpose a customised typeface that related to the original Rail Alphabet. The result was Rail Alphabet 2. Unlike any of Calvert's previous work, this letterform was designed specifically for both use on signing systems and as a digital text face. The typeface has a special weight for signs, and three weights with italics for Network Rail publications.

Margaret Calvert: Woman at Work
(May - August 2021)

With a career spanning six decades, graphic designer Margaret Calvert has produced timeless work that we see everywhere — often without realising it. Whether it is the design of the UK’s road signing system, with Jock Kinneir, wayfinding at railway stations and airports, or the typeface used on the gov.uk website, with Henrik Kubel, her work shapes much of our national visual identity.
This display marks the launch of Network Rail’s new customised typeface, Rail Alphabet 2, designed by her in close collaboration with Henrik Kubel in response to a new wayfinding system at Network Rail stations designed by Spaceagency. It will eventually be used in combination with a suite of bespoke pictograms to sign Network Rail’s stations, and as a text face for all their key built environment design publications.
[Design Museum]

Taken in the Design Museum

Rail Alphabet 2
Rail Alphabet and the Design Research Unit's corporate identity remained in use by British Rail until the re-privatisation of the railways in the early 1990s. The new companies promoted their own individual commercial identities. Today, Britain's railway infrastructure is owned and operated by publicly owned Network Rail. It has embarked on a system-wide reassessment of its graphic identify, with the aim of creating a coherent approach throughout the stations that it controls.
Calvert and Kubel were commissioned in 2019/20 to design for this purpose a customised typeface that related to the original Rail Alphabet. The result was Rail Alphabet 2. Unlike any of Calvert's previous work, this letterform was designed specifically for both use on signing systems and as a digital text face. The typeface has a special weight for signs, and three weights with italics for Network Rail publications.

Margaret Calvert: Woman at Work
(May - August 2021)

With a career spanning six decades, graphic designer Margaret Calvert has produced timeless work that we see everywhere — often without realising it. Whether it is the design of the UK’s road signing system, with Jock Kinneir, wayfinding at railway stations and airports, or the typeface used on the gov.uk website, with Henrik Kubel, her work shapes much of our national visual identity.
This display marks the launch of Network Rail’s new customised typeface, Rail Alphabet 2, designed by her in close collaboration with Henrik Kubel in response to a new wayfinding system at Network Rail stations designed by Spaceagency. It will eventually be used in combination with a suite of bespoke pictograms to sign Network Rail’s stations, and as a text face for all their key built environment design publications.
[Design Museum]

Taken in the Design Museum

British Rail Corporate Identity Manual, 1965
Rail Alphabet formed one of the 'Basic Elements' of British Rail's new identity, which was meticulously documented in manuals designed by Design Research Unit.

Margaret Calvert: Woman at Work
(May - August 2021)

With a career spanning six decades, graphic designer Margaret Calvert has produced timeless work that we see everywhere — often without realising it. Whether it is the design of the UK’s road signing system, with Jock Kinneir, wayfinding at railway stations and airports, or the typeface used on the gov.uk website, with Henrik Kubel, her work shapes much of our national visual identity.
This display marks the launch of Network Rail’s new customised typeface, Rail Alphabet 2, designed by her in close collaboration with Henrik Kubel in response to a new wayfinding system at Network Rail stations designed by Spaceagency. It will eventually be used in combination with a suite of bespoke pictograms to sign Network Rail’s stations, and as a text face for all their key built environment design publications.
[Design Museum]

Taken in the Design Museum

Rail Alphabet and the Design Research Unit's corporate identity remained in use by British Rail until the re-privatisation of the railways in the early 1990s. The new companies promoted their own individual commercial identities. Today, Britain's railway infrastructure is owned and operated by publicly owned Network Rail. It has embarked on a system-wide reassessment of its graphic identify, with the aim of creating a coherent approach throughout the stations that it controls.
Calvert and Kubel were commissioned in 2019/20 to design for this purpose a customised typeface that related to the original Rail Alphabet. The result was Rail Alphabet 2. Unlike any of Calvert's previous work, this letterform was designed specifically for both use on signing systems and as a digital text face. The typeface has a special weight for signs, and three weights with italics for Network Rail publications.

Margaret Calvert: Woman at Work
(May - August 2021)

With a career spanning six decades, graphic designer Margaret Calvert has produced timeless work that we see everywhere — often without realising it. Whether it is the design of the UK’s road signing system, with Jock Kinneir, wayfinding at railway stations and airports, or the typeface used on the gov.uk website, with Henrik Kubel, her work shapes much of our national visual identity.
This display marks the launch of Network Rail’s new customised typeface, Rail Alphabet 2, designed by her in close collaboration with Henrik Kubel in response to a new wayfinding system at Network Rail stations designed by Spaceagency. It will eventually be used in combination with a suite of bespoke pictograms to sign Network Rail’s stations, and as a text face for all their key built environment design publications.
[Design Museum]

Taken in the Design Museum

Next Generation Footbridges
Network Rail are developing a catalogue of next generation of footbridges planned to be launches across the UK rail network over a 5 year program. The new range of designs will, for the first time, provide projects with a choice of architectural, optimally engineered structures that allow for more local choice, while significantly improving passenger experience.
All designs use the lift enclosure as part of the vertical structure to support the footbridges. This greatly economises on structure, helping to clear the clutter normally found on platforms.
Each footbridge has been reviewed by the BEAP (Built Environment Accessibility Panel) and the NRDAP (NR Design Advice Panel) for accessibility and visual impact.

Rail Alphabet 2
Rail Alphabet and the Design Research Unit's corporate identity remained in use by British Rail until the re-privatisation of the railways in the early 1990s. The new companies promoted their own individual commercial identities. Today, Britain's railway infrastructure is owned and operated by publicly owned Network Rail. It has embarked on a system-wide reassessment of its graphic identify, with the aim of creating a coherent approach throughout the stations that it controls.
Calvert and Kubel were commissioned in 2019/20 to design for this purpose a customised typeface that related to the original Rail Alphabet. The result was Rail Alphabet 2. Unlike any of Calvert's previous work, this letterform was designed specifically for both use on signing systems and as a digital text face. The typeface has a special weight for signs, and three weights with italics for Network Rail publications.

Margaret Calvert: Woman at Work
(May - August 2021)

With a career spanning six decades, graphic designer Margaret Calvert has produced timeless work that we see everywhere — often without realising it. Whether it is the design of the UK’s road signing system, with Jock Kinneir, wayfinding at railway stations and airports, or the typeface used on the gov.uk website, with Henrik Kubel, her work shapes much of our national visual identity.
This display marks the launch of Network Rail’s new customised typeface, Rail Alphabet 2, designed by her in close collaboration with Henrik Kubel in response to a new wayfinding system at Network Rail stations designed by Spaceagency. It will eventually be used in combination with a suite of bespoke pictograms to sign Network Rail’s stations, and as a text face for all their key built environment design publications.
[Design Museum]

Taken in the Design Museum

A page from an issue fo Modern Railways, the early 1960s editions of which, are great in charting what was then a rapidly changing world in the UK's public transport sector. From 1963 onwards much space was given not only to the impending rationalisations, both before and after Beeching, but also to the new and evolving "house style" of British Railways that was from 1965 badged as "British Rail" with the now famous double arrow logo. This work was initiated by the British Railways Board's Design Panel, that was also overseeing design detailing of rolling stock, and by the consultant designers, the Design Research Unit.

In February 1963 an exhibition "New Design for British Railways" was held at the Design Centre in London to show the 'new look' and to guage public reaction to logos, uniforms and liveries. Following the adoption of the new look a further exhibition would be held in 1965.

As well as the double arrow symbol, new typeface and new liveries for passenger rolling stock the Railway's freight division was not excluded. The DRU came up with the new 'freight arrow' symbol as seen here and this was complemented by new liveries for both rail and road vehicles - "a colourful range of reds, blues and yellows" as described by Brian Haresnape, the author of this article. They were intended to stand out, no longer to appear dowdy and blend in to the world of freight. Two photos show the familiar Scammell tractor and trailer so beloved of the railway and a rail mounted container. The third photo shows the new coding panels introduced across all types of wagon and units.

This moquette, designed by Misha Black, was used on London Underground D78 and 1983 stocks. It was also used on the MCW Metrobus and Leyland Titan buses in London.

1964 was quite a year for British Railways. Hot on the heels of the 1963 'Beeching Report" on reshaping the railway network and the attendant closure programme, came new investment in other areas of the network such as the development of the InterCity brand and services. Allied to this, and the 'new look' of British Rail with a strong corporate brand of typeface, logo and supporting materials, came the prototype Mark 2 carriages that were known as the XP64 set and that followed on from late 1950s work on Mark 1 carriages and a mock up series developed by the influential Design Research Unit in 1963. This article by noted railway design author Brian Haresnape looks at the eight carriages that were formed into a set and initially worked on the East Coast Main LIne as "The Talisman".

1964 was quite a year for British Railways. Hot on the heels of the 1963 'Beeching Report" on reshaping the railway network and the attendant closure programme, came new investment in other areas of the network such as the development of the InterCity brand and services. Allied to this, and the 'new look' of British Rail with a strong corporate brand of typeface, logo and supporting materials, came the prototype Mark 2 carriages that were known as the XP64 set and that followed on from late 1950s work on Mark 1 carriages and a mock up series developed by the influential Design Research Unit in 1963. This article by noted railway design author Brian Haresnape looks at the eight carriages that were formed into a set and initially worked on the East Coast Main LIne as "The Talisman".

1964 was quite a year for British Railways. Hot on the heels of the 1963 'Beeching Report" on reshaping the railway network and the attendant closure programme, came new investment in other areas of the network such as the development of the InterCity brand and services. Allied to this, and the 'new look' of British Rail with a strong corporate brand of typeface, logo and supporting materials, came the prototype Mark 2 carriages that were known as the XP64 set and that followed on from late 1950s work on Mark 1 carriages and a mock up series developed by the influential Design Research Unit in 1963. This article by noted railway design author Brian Haresnape looks at the eight carriages that were formed into a set and initially worked on the East Coast Main LIne as "The Talisman".

1964 was quite a year for British Railways. Hot on the heels of the 1963 'Beeching Report" on reshaping the railway network and the attendant closure programme, came new investment in other areas of the network such as the development of the InterCity brand and services. Allied to this, and the 'new look' of British Rail with a strong corporate brand of typeface, logo and supporting materials, came the prototype Mark 2 carriages that were known as the XP64 set and that followed on from late 1950s work on Mark 1 carriages and a mock up series developed by the influential Design Research Unit in 1963. This article by noted railway design author Brian Haresnape looks at the eight carriages that were formed into a set and initially worked on the East Coast Main LIne as "The Talisman".

In the relatively new 'house style' this bold and simple poster is a fine example of the clarity that British Rail's corporate identity introduced in 1965. Crafted by the Design Research Unit, and with Gerry barney's now iconic double arrow logo, the poster partly uses the commissioned Rail Alphabet designed by Margaret Calvert and Jock Kinneir and includes the selective use of the corporate colours to highlight text. This poster conforms to the Design Standards that had been issued and it is still remarkably contemporary - a clean piece of straightforward design and typography.

The introduction of the new corporate identity for British Railways was part of the 'new age' of railway modernisation that as well as the massive closures and withdrawal programme that was given added impetus under the 'Beeching Report' also saw a more targeted investment programme than the earlier and utimately doomed 'Modernisation Programme' of the British Transport Commission. British Railways became British Rail and with it came the loss of the use of the Gill Sans typeface that had been primarily used since 1948 and a new logo designed by Gerry Barney of the Design Research Unit, the agency that oversaw the rebranding in great detail. This included the new Rail Alphabet designed by Margaret Clavert and Jock Kinneir who had also introduced the new Transport typeface to the nation as part of the overhaul of the UK's road signs under the Worboys Report.

As part of the marketing of this new corporate identity an exhibition was held at the Design Centre in London in January 1965. The poster and the accompanying leaflet.

The introduction of the new corporate identity for British Railways was part of the 'new age' of railway modernisation that as well as the massive closures and withdrawal programme that was given added impetus under the 'Beeching Report' also saw a more targeted investment programme than the earlier and utimately doomed 'Modernisation Programme' of the British Transport Commission. British Railways became British Rail and with it came the loss of the use of the Gill Sans typeface that had been primarily used since 1948 and a new logo designed by Gerry Barney of the Design Research Unit, the agency that oversaw the rebranding in great detail. This included the new Rail Alphabet designed by Margaret Clavert and Jock Kinneir who had also introduced the new Transport typeface to the nation as part of the overhaul of the UK's road signs under the Worboys Report.

As part of the marketing of this new corporate identity an exhibition was held at the Design Centre in London in January 1965. The poster and the accompanying leaflet.