When draftsman Henry Beck created the London Underground Tube map in 1931, I doubt he had any idea of how he would so impact the world of design. Almost a century later, his techniques of simplifying structures and color-coding are still considered a modern solution. When his name surfaced a while back, I got curious about just how many different ways designers use his formulas.
A little history and a smattering of examples…
Design Classics: London Underground Map…
Today’s London Tube Map (610KB PDF)…
The New York City Subway System…
From edwardtufte.com: A freewheeling discussion about worldwide subway maps…
Redesigning the New York City subway map…
Thanks to Daniel Will-Harris for pointing us to it.
Posted in APRIL 2020 / Chuck Green is the principal of Logic Arts, a design and marketing firm, a contributor to numerous magazines and websites, and the author of books published by Random House, Peachpit Press, and Rockport Publishers. All rights reserved. Copyright 2007-2020 Chuck Green/Logic Arts Corporation. Contact.
Thoughts?