Submitted by Angus, who says:
I’ve been working on this map of an integrated rail network for Greater Glasgow of the (imagined) near future for quite some time and now that it’s finally finished I’d love to know what you make of it. Shortly after beginning the project I found your blog and I’ve been regularly trawling through it for inspiration and tips ever since.
I started work on the map for three basic reasons. Firstly, I felt that the city region’s substantial urban rail network – as it exists now – really needs a dedicated map of some sort, having last had one more than a decade ago. Secondly, it is my belief that a modest amount of vision and investment could see the reinstatement of a range of unused or underused routes and thereby endow the city region with thoroughly modern and enviable transport network – something along the lines of the number of German cities with multi-modal transportation systems incorporating U-Bahn, S-Bahn and trams. Thirdly, like yourself and everyone who follows Transit Maps, I really love schematic transport maps and, as an aspiring graphic designer, I thought it was high time I have a crack at one.
A much more in-depth/boring synopsis of my motivations, vision and design processes can be found at my blog here.
Transit Maps says:
Wow. Not only is Angus’ fine diagrammatic map simply beautiful to look at, but the applied design theory behind it is some of the most comprehensive I have ever seen. Every element has a defined relationship to the other parts of the diagram and it’s all applied consistently across the whole map.
Check out the final image above to see how he ties everything together with some very consistent sizing and spacing of elements. It has to be said that this type of theoretical work is always a little bit easier with a fantasy map compared to a map of an existing transit system – reality doesn’t always oblige us quite so nicely with the location of and relationships between stations, etc. – but a set of strict guidelines that govern the look of a map is always a great idea.
The map itself is filled with lovely design touches that really set it apart: I particularly like the black dot/grid arrangement of interchange station symbols and the simply glorious “current” texture applied to the River Clyde. There’s good mode differentiation between the subway (greatly expanded from the single “Clockwork Orange” circle that currently exists) and the commuter rail lines, and connections to long distance trains are nicely shown as well. I do feel that the labels could perhaps be a little larger – there’s a lot of white space in the diagram, and bigger text is always helpful!
About the only other thing I don’t really like on the map is the unlabelled, stylised version of it at the top right of the header: it seems somewhat pointless and squiggly, and a little at odds with the clean, restrained design of the rest of the map.
I would definitely recommend all readers to head over to Angus’ blog, where he details the rationale and method behind this fantastic map; he also delves deep into the colour theory and branding of the system as well.
Our rating: One of the best fantasy transit maps I’ve seen in a long time, backed up with some solid design theory. Four-and-a-half stars!