To mark its 50th birthday, D&AD is delving into its archive to highlight significant pieces of work that have featured in the awards. We will be publishing one a week. This time, it's the turn of Design Research Unit's radically modern symbol for British Rail, first awarded by D&AD in 1966

The arrows of indecision. The barbed wire. The crow's feet. In the 50 years since he drew up one of the UK's most recognisable symbols while working at Design Research Unit, designer Gerry Barney has heard them all. But he doesn't mind. While the public was to gradually fall out of love with British Rail as an organisation, its double arrow logo carried on, quietly working away as a beautifully simple and remarkably relevant piece of design.

The symbol was third in CR's list of our 20 favourite logos, published in our April 2011 issue. You can read the full article on the symbol, including and interview with Barney and archive images, here

Related Content

Read the first post on this series, on Barrie Bates' 1963 A union, Jack! poster, here

And the second post, on Derek BIrdsall's covers for Penguin books, here

And the third, on the Go to Work on an Egg ad campaign here

D&AD's 50-year timeline of landmark work is here

Creative Review's February issue will feature our 20 favoruite slogans of all time

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