Sir Misha Black was an Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

-born British

British people

The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...

 architect and designer. In 1933 he founded with associates in London the organisation which became the Artists’ International Association. From 1959 to 1975 he was a professor of industrial design at the Royal College of Art

Royal College of Art

The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...

 in London, England. He was also a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers

Chartered Society of Designers

The Chartered Society of Designers , headquartered in London, England, is the professional body for designers. It is the world's only Royal chartered body of professional designers...

, and winner of the Minerva Medal, the Society's highest award. Between 1974 and 1976 Black was President of the Design and Industries Association

Design and Industries Association

The Design and Industries Association is a United Kingdom charity whose object is to engage with all those who share a common interest in the contribution that design can make to the delivery of goods and services that are sustainable and enhance the quality of life for communities and the...

. He was responsible for designing Westminster

City of Westminster

The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...

's iconic street name signs. He also designed the famous black/brown/orange/yellow moquette originally used by London Transport

London Transport Board

The London Transport Board was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, UK, and its environs from 1963-1969. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.-History:The...

 and also the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive

West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive

The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the executive arm of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and was originally formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport...

 in the late 1970s onwards. See http://www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk/LTM/Furniture-collection/Our-moquette-range.html for a picture of this design.

Earlier association with railway design was the external styling of British Railways Southern Region British Rail Class 71

British Rail Class 71

The British Rail Class 71 was an electric locomotive used on the Southern Region of British Railways, unlike most other Southern Region electric locomotives they could not operate away from the electrified system.- History :As part of the BTC Modernisation Plan of 1955, twenty-four electric...

 electric locomotives of 1958 and Western Region British Rail Class 52

British Rail Class 52

British Rail assigned Class 52 to the class of 74 large Type 4 diesel-hydraulic locomotives built for the Western Region of British Railways between 1961 and 1964...

 diesel locomotives of 1961. On 27 July 2003 at Salisbury station, preserved Class 52 D1015 normally named "Western Champion" was unveiled carrying temporary "Sir Misha Black" nameplates. (D1015 is owned by the Diesel Traction Group http://www.westernchampion.co.uk).

He played an active part in UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

.

His brother was the philosopher Max Black

Max Black

Max Black was a British-American philosopher, who was a leading influential figure in analytic philosophy in the first half of the twentieth century. He made contributions to the philosophy of language, the philosophy of mathematics and science, and the philosophy of art, also publishing studies...

.

Books

• The Black Papers on Design

Selected Writings of the Late Sir Misha Black http://eng.archinform.net/quellen/90031.htm

Other

• In 1943, with Milner Gray
  Milner Gray (designer)
  Milner Connorton Gray was one of the key figures of British industrial design in the 20th century, having played an important role in establishing design as a recognized profession, the emergence of British design consultancies, and the development of Design Management...
  
  , Sir Misha Black founded Design Research Unit
  Design Research Unit
  The Design Research Unit was one of the first generation of British design consultancies combining expertise in architecture, graphics and industrial design. It was founded by the managing director of Stuart's Advertising Agency, Marcus Brumwell with Misha Black and Milner Gray in 1943...
  
  - a London based Architectural, Graphic Design and Interior Design Company.