A Brief History of Road Signs

Just over half a century ago, the road signage system we use in Britain today was introduced. This came shortly after the construction of the country’s first motorways when the government realised there was a need for clear easily recognisable signage to keep the roads safe. The Worboys Committee was founded by the government in response to graphic designer Herbert Spencer highlighting the faults with the current system. This committee was responsible for reviewing the existing signage and creating a new system that could be used on all of Britain’s roads. They commissioned graphic designers Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert to redesign the existing jumble of locally authorised road signs into a nationwide signage system that could be recognised by all who used the roads. Kinneir was the graphic designer responsible for creating the signage system used at Gatwick Airport. This yellow and black system is still recognisable in airports today. He enlisted the help of one of his students at the Chelsea School of Art, Margaret Calvert for the project and later hired her as his assistant. The team was then made responsible for creating the signage system for the country’s very first motorway- the Preston Bypass.



Kinneir felt it was important to take into consideration the speed the drivers on the road would be travelling at when they needed to view the signs. He found that place names with mixed cases were more easily recognisable than those written in all upper case, so made this a prominent feature of the new system. In general, the new signage system received positive feedback however it was notably criticised by rival graphic designer David Kindersley. Kindersley suggested that the signs were too big in size and favoured the upper-case aesthetic to mixed capitalisation.


When the motorway system expanded a few years later, Kinneir and Calvert took on the task of implementing their signage system nationwide. The blue signs with white lettering were soon found across the country and complimented the signage systems used across the continent. The duo were also responsible for designing the simple maps used to give directions to drivers. They found that clear, simple designs were much easier to understand so bold lines to represent roads and a sans serif font were used.


The project then expanded to cover other types of road signage. While place names and directions were important, the committee found need for instantly recognisable warning symbols too. These were much more graphic than their predecessors which often simply featured words. The new signs showed simple pictures of vehicles and people completing actions, such as the warning for a school depicting children crossing the road. These pictograms took less time for drivers to recognise and digest than written words. This increased their effectiveness, therefore making the roads a much safer place and travelling across the country a less daunting task. Eventually, everything from road work symbols to speed limit signs were designed by the team and implemented across the country.
Despite being designed more than half a century ago, the road signage system designed by Kinneir and Calvert is still in use today. This goes to show that good quality signage is a worthwhile investment and can last you many years to come. Classic design and clear representation of messages go a long way and help people to associate certain symbols and colours with an organisation. Red17 stock a wide range of signage products that can be personalised to suit your business needs. Take a look at our online catalogue today and invest in the products that make your business instantly recognisable.