Arrows of Desire

by Nick Job

The revered British Rail symbol is making something of a comeback although, in truth, it never really went away.

Created by Gerry Barney of Design Research Unit, the iconic British Rail symbol turned 60 years old in 2024. An archetypal product of post-war modernisation in a resurgent Britain in thrall to Beatlemania and the miniskirt, the symbol was universally applied across a largely deteriorating railway in desperate need of a change of both image and fortune.

Today the symbol remains an integral part of the visual fabric of the nation, long after the company it so faithfully represented ‘departed the platform’ in what is now widely regarded as a failed experiment in rail privatisation. As the organisational structure of the nation’s railways is set to change once again, the revered symbol is making something of a comeback although, in truth, it never really went away.

In this book, Nick Job charts the highs and lows of the symbol over the course of its colourful life, seeking to discover exactly what it is about the enigmatic ‘double arrow’ that appears to have guaranteed its prime position in the pantheon of all-time classic logos.

Nick Job is an independent designer, based in Macclesfield, UK. He has a degree in graphic design from Nottingham Trent University. After a decade as in-house brand designer for a global logistics provider, he launched his own design business, realising a long-held ambition to produce type. He has since released retail typefaces with Monotype, Fontsmith and Rosetta. Nick, a self-confessed anorak, is the author of doublearrow.co.uk, the British Rail Corporate Identity website.

Written and designed by Nick Job
Softcover, 96 pages,
Colour and B+W
210x210mm
ISBN 978-1-7394927-3-1

*NB images shown here are artist impressions, the actual books may be slightly different.