For those of who you missed it, Transit Maps did a quick little Q&A over the weekend with the amazing Spanish design magazine and blog, Yorokobu. (Seriously, go take a look, even if you don’t speak Spanish. Totally inspiring!) Anyway, for those of you that don’t speak Spanish (like me) and can’t/won’t use a web translation service, here’s my original answers to their questions in English. It may differ slightly to what was published because […]
An anonymous follower asks: “Do you have any examples of a line map for a loop/circle line? I’m curious as to how those are implemented.” Transit Maps says: Generally, a strip map for a loop or circle line follows much the same principles as a usual one, although the available space may have to be used a little more creatively in order to fit things in. Above are a few interesting examples. London’s Circle Line: […]
I use Adobe Illustrator exclusively when working on my maps. As a graphic designer, it’s the tool that I’m most used to and that’s most suited to the task at hand. Any vector-based illustration application would be fine, though. Lots of people who want to get into map making without the cost of an Adobe app swear by Inkscape, although I’ve never used it personally. As for tutorials, I’ve pretty much learned all I know […]
Here’s a question from an anonymous follower, who asks: “Is it good or bad to depict lines under construction on subway maps?” In my opinion, if the line is actually under construction, then it’s definitely a good thing to show it. It gets users acquainted with the new line before it opens and generates interest. How you show it is up to you – dashed lines are the usual way, although advances in printing mean […]
I haven’t met Mark, but we have chatted a few times about my work – he had some very kind words about my French TGV Map (see the third comment on this page). Super nice guy, and definitely knows his stuff. His books are a huge part of my interest in transit maps.
Reader Question: Help. I’m designing a tube map using Illustrator. I would like the x-height of the font I have chosen to be the same as the thickness of the tube lines. But Illustrator only seems to allow me to adjust the total height of any font, not the x height – so I can’t get a perfect match. Do you have any idea if this is possible? I Couldn’t find any information about it […]
