Month: November 2011

Official Map: Go Transit System Map, Southern Ontario, Canada

November 11, 2011
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It must be the season for redesigning transit maps. Hot on the heels of NJ Transit’s disappointing new system map comes a new map for the Go Transit network that serves Toronto and Southern Ontario. And unlike that NJ Transit map, this one takes the opportunity to create something new, contemporary and exciting – and totally runs with it. Especially when it’s compared to their previous map, which was nothing short of terrible. The old […]

Official Map: New Jersey Transit Rail System, 2011

November 10, 2011
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If you’ve reached this page from a search engine hit, please note that this is not the official NJ Transit page, but an independent review of the map as it stood in 2011. If you want to see the current official map, then follow this link [PDF]. If you love transit maps and diagrams, then please stick around and read the review – and more – on this site! This morning, an interesting tweet came […]

On Colour Blindness and Transit Map Design

November 9, 2011
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Colour blindness affects a small but significant percentage of the population, mainly males. It is estimated that around 7 to 8 percent of men are red-green colour blind (the most common type of colour blindness), while less than one percent of women are. Strangely enough, I knew a girl in high school who was colour blind, but I digress… Transit maps, as informational design, should pay attention to how colour blind users perceive them. Shown […]

Unofficial Map: Paris Metro with Geolocated Stations

November 8, 2011
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Further to yesterday’s post, here’s a new unofficial map of the Paris Metro that’s been hot on the interwebs over the last few days. Unlike the official RATP diagram, this version places all the stations in their exact geographical locations, although I suspect the route lines have been tweaked between those points to create more graceful curves than in reality. Also unlike the official map, it doesn’t attempt to show tram services or mainline train […]

Official Map: Paris Metro/RER/Tram Map, 2011

November 7, 2011
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If you visit Paris, you need to use the Metro to get around, so it’s a good thing that its map is up to the task. It took Paris a long time to come around to a diagrammatic approach (Harry Beck created two versions on spec, but both were rejected), and earlier diagrams were not as successful as this – one had all vertical lines set at a jaunty 15-degree angle, which made the whole […]

Official Map: Metro, Lisbon, Portugal, 2011

November 5, 2011
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A beautiful example of an abstracted rectilinear diagram – everything is evenly spaced, with subtle curves and a lovely complementary rounded typeface. The colours in this diagram work wonderfully well, with “traditional” route colours of Blue, Yellow, Green and Red being given a pastel twist and lovely icons that fit in with Lisbon’s maritime history perfectly. An excellent bi-lingual key and icons pack this map with useful information and all type is set horizontally. The […]

Official Map: Subte, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2011

November 3, 2011
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This map is another fine example of how to integrate a transit diagram onto a street grid. The streets are shown in a subordinate grey at a thinner line weight, and fade away to nothing when no longer needed. The bright, bold subway lines stand out well against this background, and lots of important information is clearly marked. One piece of information that I don’t think I’ve seen on any other transit map: a line […]