Gerry Barney Explained

Gerry Barney
Birth Name:Gerald Barney
Birth Date:18 September 1939
Nationality:British
Occupation:Designer
Known For:British Rail Double Arrow

Gerald Lawrence Barney (born)[1] is a British designer, best known for his 1965 British Rail Double Arrow, which is still in use in the UK.

In 1960, aged 21, Barney started his career at the Design Research Unit (DRU) as a lettering artist, and soon became close to the studio’s co-founder, Milner Gray.[2] At the DRU, Barney designed logos including the British Rail Double Arrow.

He later worked for Wolff Olins, and in 1978, together with his colleagues David Bristow, Kit Cooper and Terence Griffin, set up British design agency Sedley Place.

In 2021, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) hoped that Barney would endorse a new version of the logo in different shades of green, to highlight the environmental benefits of train travel. However, he said: "I could understand it if they had just swapped red for green. But why on earth have they got that many colours? It's a load of old bollocks. It's just a mess."[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Companies House. 1 February 2003. Terminating appointment as director or secretary.
  2. Web site: Top 20 logos: 03. British Rail (1964) . Creative Review . 22 September 2021 . 27 September 2021 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210927091931/https://www.creativereview.co.uk/british-rail-logo/.
  3. News: Weaver . Matthew . British Rail logo designer appalled by green makeover 'mess' . 22 September 2021 . The Guardian . 22 September 2021 . 23 September 2021 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210923004541/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/sep/22/british-rail-logo-designer-appalled-by-green-makeover-mess.