SignPlot used at the Design Museum

This is Design

A major exhibition running until 22 January at the Design Museum focuses on traffic signs. Occupying the main wall are the iconic designs of Margaret Calvert and Jock Kinneir, including a full size motorway sign recreated especially for this display using SignPlot software by Simon Morgan and Route Signs Ltd under Margaret’s careful supervision.

It is rare to be able to get so close to a motorway sign to appreciate the sheer size of the 300mm x-height lettering. The advance direction sign has been made to the 1980s layout, using appropriate materials, but without a junction number as the original Kinneir and Calvert designs did not have this.

Simon Morgan, MD of Buchanan Computing commented, “It has been very exciting to work again with Margaret and to go back in time to the original designs produced for the Worboys Committee. This has entailed quite a bit of tweaking of the SignPlot software that normally implements the current layout and spacing rules.”

SignPlot was also used to recreate for enlargement a diagram illustrating the spacings and dimensions recommended to the Worboys Committee, rules which will be familiar to those reading the current Traffic Signs Manual.

The exhibition includes five of the gouache on card ‘maquettes’, produced for the Worboys Committee, the original glass negatives of the Transport alphabets developed by Kinneir and Calvert.

Links:

SignPlot main page with animated presentation.

Design Museum website

Route Signs Ltd (now Tennants)

Further information:

Simon Morgan 
simon.morgan@BuchananComputing.co.uk
020 8846 3220 

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