Many thanks to Matt Johnson for telling me about this amazing photoset on Flickr that details the process involved in printing the new Rush+ station maps for Washington, DC’s Metro system. Click through to see the whole set! Even as an experienced graphic designer, I was amazed to see that the maps are screen printed — each colour on the map is printed one after the other, each using a separate screen with its own […]
I guess when your entire country is the size of a large city, you’re allowed to show your rail network in the form of a subway map. Source: davidwilson1949/Flickr
Can you call it a network map when it consists of one line and a soon-to-be defunct (and despised) monorail? A north pointer would really help here as well, as west is at the bottom of the map. Source: Michael “Comeng301M” Coley/Flickr
Here’s an interesting map from Nürnberg (Nuremberg) in Germany that uses 30-degree angles instead of the usual 45. There doesn’t seem to be major thematic reason as to why things have been done this way: I suspect that it’s purely to make the routes fit into the allotted space. Have we been there? Yes, in 2003. What we like: Competently done, with a visually pleasing layout and good information hierarchy – the U-Bahn and tram […]
This map was nominated by Tumblr user Tevi as the worst transit map ever. While I don’t agree, as the map is at least competently drawn, it does have some serious shortcomings, not the least of which is knowing how much detail is too much. Have we been there? No. What we like: The blue background behind the map is a refreshing change from white or neutral grey, and the north pointer is quite lovely […]
Yellowstone National Park is probably one of the last places I would think of regarding transit maps — but here one is. The Linx Cooperative runs transport to and through the park and released this map for the 2012 season to showcase their services. Have we been there? Yes, but with my own transport. By the way, everyone should visit Yellowstone — it’s truly amazing (See my photoset on Flickr). What we like: Nice attempt […]
Not every transit map conforms to the Beck-inspired 45-degree angles norm. Many of these maps choose instead to be more geographically accurate, but some – such as this example from Marseille, France – veer towards the surreal, with routes careening crazily all over the place with little sense of aesthetics or clarity. Have we been there? I spent half an hour at Marseille St. Charles waiting for a train to Nice, but haven’t ventured out […]
This map is at the request of an anonymous follower, who wrote this about this map: Truly terrible transit map that deserves a lashing: the AirTrain JFK. Way too complicated for something that should be fairly simple. Even worse are the TV screens in the stations showing information about where the train at each platform is going, which completely obscure the most important information. Now, I can’t comment on the info screens, as I’ve never […]
In general, I hold European transit maps in better regard than maps from other parts of the world. Crisp, clear European graphic design and transit maps just seem to be made for each other! Of course, there’s always exceptions to the rule, and this map from the Compagnie des Transports Strasbourgeois (CTS) in Strasbourg, France is one of those exceptions. Have we been there? Yes, in December 2003. I found the trams pretty easy to […]
If anything, I actually like this elongated layout better than the actual official system map (reviewed here) – the removal of the geography and the addition of zone information makes the design both cleaner and more useful. Great use of an awkward space. Source: LiamC1995/Flickr
