British Rail Designed 1948-97

British Rail Designed 1948-97 is about the design successes, and failures, of Britain''s most extensive state-sponsored industry. It is a story of people and ideas, movement and design, speed and colour. In a few years every aspect of the railway system, from printed materials to vehicles and buildings, was re-conceived and re-branded by the leading British industrial designers of the mid-twentieth century: individuals and teams who styled much of modern Britain''s environment and consumer goods. Design is about why things look like they do, to do what they do, and it is about things looking aesthetically right: with good proportions, and parts in good relation to one another. This is a comprehensive study of the crafting, operation and marketing of a national transport system, by which four steam-powered empires were transformed into a modern enterprise.Moving railway aesthetics from the consequences of engineering decisions, to an expression of the purpose and culture of a nation, Br