“We had the general sizing and grouping of text, the arrows, and the typeface, but we knew the pictograms we had weren’t really working.” Enter Calvert and Kubelĭiscussions between Spaceagency and Network Rail concluded that a completely new set of pictograms was needed, and it was decided that additional work was needed on the typeface too. Spaceagency founder and director Sarah Manning takes up the story again. What those other options and earlier colour scheme ideas show is that things could very easily have ended up appearing very different indeed.ĭespite the Minimal Design option being selected as the preferred choice for Network Rail’s new signage, it wasn’t the final product. With the new Network Rail wayfinding design guidance and Rail Alphabet 2 typeface launched at the “Woman at Work” exhibition in London last October, it now seems inevitable that a new Calvert/Kubel-designed typeface, building on the legacy of Calvert and Kinneir’s original Rail Alphabet, would be used. Looked at today, the ‘Refinement’ and ‘Meandering Tracks’ options featured in last week’s article are fascinating might-have-beens (along with the earlier idea of neon-coloured station signage). This week’s article looks at the development of the Minimal Design option and the typeface chosen for use on it. The latter option was chosen, but it wasn’t quite the final design.
Three options were displayed at full size at a preview event, ‘Refinement’, ‘Meandering Tracks’ and ‘Minimal Design’. …we looked at the work of wayfinding, design and environmental graphics studio Spaceagency, as they developed ideas to to replace Network Rail’s existing wayfinding signage within stations.