Monthly Archives: November 2014

Here are some colour images of the US railroads during 1943. The images show women doing mens’ work..and winning! Chicago was the industrial centre of the USA for most of the 19C and 20C. It’s position made it the gate-way … Continue reading →

Here’s a cover design from Fortune magazine in 1939. Fortune was America’s most important industrial and business news magazine. During the period 1930-1960 the magazine was a pioneer of new forms of graphic design that combined information and organisation…You get … Continue reading →

  Here’s a terrific photographic image that I found online…it combines the horizontal of the box car with the verticals of the silo…I also have a weakness for the typographic detail. This kind of industrial and poetic realism is associated, … Continue reading →

We’re in the middle of our local book festival. I went to listen to the railway author, Andrew Martin, speak about his new book. This is a book in which he re-traces the journeys of the great named services of … Continue reading →

The Japanese maglev (magnetic levitation) train has set a new speed record…500 kph. With passengers! Amazing…at ground level, that’s a fantastic speed. But, did you know that maglev technology, based on superconducting linear motors, was developed in Britain? Obviously, it … Continue reading →

Here’s a set of small posters to remind railway staff of how to deal with parcels and goods for freight. It all seems pretty straightforward…it’s about organisation, communication, and consistency. Actually, that’s what design is all about.

Here is a group of railway safety posters from the 1940s and 1950s. They’re from the steam age, anyway. They’re designed by Leonard Cusden…a pretty good poster designer who remains relatively unknown…

The Britain in Pictures books (BIP) published by Collins are a familiar staple of the second-hand book trade in the UK. Most shops will have a selection on their shelves, with-or- without dust wraps. In general, and with very few … Continue reading →

We popped into the National Gallery, London, recently. It was great to have a quick look at some old friends. Here is Monet’s picture of the trains at St Lazare, Paris. The effect of light and steam against the metal, … Continue reading →