Blog: Sign of the Times

“Think of things around you that don’t work and get on with redesigning and fixing them!” This was the rousing call to arms to the design community last night from Michael Wolff RDI.

He was speaking at the opening of the ‘Sign of the Times’ exhibition at The Protein Gallery, Shoreditch, which he had created with specialist retailer Spring Chicken and communications agency NB Studio.

This creative partnership with a cause had invited designers from all over the world to submit a new design to replace the ‘Elderly People’ road sign which they felt was a depressing and clichéd image of older people.  

Their plan was to use this project as an opportunity to appeal to the UK's Department for Transport, to raise awareness of issues affecting older people and to campaign for a refresh of a dated and negative symbol.

The response to their brief was inspiring and entertaining with fourteen of the RSA’s Royal Designers for Industry having a go. There were numerous arresting, witty, and humorous submissions; one even knitted their entry (a personal favourite). Since the project was launched this creative and engaging campaign has been covered by the Huffington Post, Telegraph and Daily Mail.

You too can get involved by voting for your favourite design. Simply vote, tweet or like your top choice and support the campaign that could enable a new and uplifting sign on our country’s roads in the future.

From Friday 11th September through to Sunday 13th, you can see over 100 signs designed by some of the world’s best designers, in person at: 

The Protein Gallery,
31 New Inn Yard,
Shoreditch,
London,
EC21 3EY

The show will be open from 10am - 5pm. 

A limited edition book of the designs, and all the signs will be available to buy via an online auction with proceeds going to Age UK.

#SignOfTheTimes

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