GPO - all-figure telephone numbers : folder designed by Banks & Mills, November 1966

            One of a series of folder leaflets issued by the GPO - General Post Office - the organisation then responsible for all British telecommunications and designed to familiarise subscribers with the then new "all-figure" telephone numbers being introduced. This was one of the first phases of the nationwide introduction of the STD, Subcriber Trunk Dialling, system that would remove the requirement for calls to be routed manually through local exchanges. 

Issued in late 1966 it notes that some subscribers in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester have already been issued numbers replacing the old three letter exchange codes with exchange numbers as well as with the new area codes - 01 for London, 021 for Birmingham, etc. It was intended to take three years to effect this change across all these cities and before the STD codes were run out over all other exchanges their numbers retained an exchange name followed by number. Within many areas a form of 'local' dialling codes assisted in routing calls to neighbouring exchanges.

The leaflets also advise on how to correctly show the new numbers as this version was intended for advertising and publciity agents as well as printers and publishers to show the correct format for all-figure numbers. The leaflets are interesting in themselves as they are designed by John Banks and Colin Miles. Together they had formed their design studio in 1958 and went on to design a wide range of advertising, publciity and typefaces for major clients including in 1970 the Post Office's new geometric, monoline type face as well as being employed to redesign London Transport's Johnston typeface in 1984.

Taken on: June 22, 2021

Tags:

GPO

General Post Office

telephone

telephone numbers

all figure telephone numbers

STD

Subscriber Trunk Dialling

telephony

telecommunications

leaflet

folder

publicity

graphic design

printing

publishing

typography

information

Banks & Miles

1966

Colin Banks

John Miles

Gothic Press Ltd

advertising

typeface

London

01-

Birmingham

021-

Edinburgh

031-

Glasgow

041-

Liverpool

051-

Manchester

061- « less

Sets appears in: • GPO - all-figure telephone numbers 1966/7 • Typography and typefaces more » • GPO - the General Post Office « less

Groups appears in: • Typography and Lettering • Vintage Advertising more » • GPO • That Old Timey Feeling • Typophile // typography, lettering and design • Vintage Typography • Golden Age of Advertising: 1950s - 1970s • Font of All Wisdom - Unique lettering in design [VINTAGE] • Text and Typography • PLANET EARTH BACK IN THE DAY • PLANET EARTH VINTAGE ADVERTISING « less

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