Margaret Calvert: Woman at Work

About the Author

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.