Margaret Calvert, Architecture & Design, Debrett's 500 2015, People

Margaret Calvert

TYPOGRAPHER AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER

While many might consider her rather old school, at 75 Margaret Calvert is still a hugely influential name in the design world, having designed the country’s road signs. She was a key adviser on the award-winning gov.uk redesign, which has been lauded internationally as a timeless classic of functionality and style, marrying traditional values with the practical demands of the internet age. Born in South Africa, she studied at the Chelsea College of Art in London in the 1950s, before graphic design had even happened. While still studying, she worked with her tutor Jock Kinneir on signs for Gatwick Airport, and on leaving was offered a position with Kinneir designing symbols and fonts for UK road signs. Since then she has worked with British Rail, BAA and the NHS amongst others, has taught at the Royal College of Art, and won an Icon Award in 2013.