All posts filed under: Tutorials

Transit Map Typefaces: Humanist Sans (Part 3 of 4)

March 8, 2013
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The third – and most diverse – category of sans serif typefaces is known as humanist sans. Compared to the grotesque and geometric categories, humanist sans typefaces almost calligraphic, with a natural variation in line weight and open characters that enhance legibility. With less “rules” to their construction, there’s a much greater variety of letter forms – meaning it’s easier to find a typeface that projects its own unique personality upon your map, which can […]

Transit Map Typefaces: Geometric Sans (Part 2 of 4)

March 6, 2013
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Geometric sans serif typefaces – as their name suggests – are based on geometrical shapes, especially circles for their “o”. Many of these typefaces have their roots in the 1920s and 1930s, and often reflect the Art Deco aesthetic of that period. Of the three sans serif categories, this is my least favourite for use on transit maps. Their rigid reliance on geometry makes them a little inflexible in use, and because many of the […]

Transit Map Typefaces: Grotesque Sans (Part 1 of 4)

March 6, 2013
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This series of posts is inspired by an anonymous poster, who requested some information on typography in transit map design. Almost without exception*, modern transit maps use sans serif typefaces for their labelling. Sans serif literally translates to English as “without [a] serif”, and denotes that the typeface does not have serifs: those little nubs at the top and bottom of characters that can help the eye follow large amounts of text. The practice of using […]

Reader Question: What software do you use to make these? Are there any must-have tutorials that helped you learn the techniques used to produce these?

January 17, 2013
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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 […]

Tutorial: Adobe Illustrator’s ‘Round Corners’ Effect and Transit Maps

January 28, 2012
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In my earlier post about drawing a transit map, I made mention of the fact that Adobe Illustrator’s “Round Corners” effect doesn’t work very well with multiple curves around a corner, such as parallel route lines changing direction together on a transit map. This part of my post elicited a very interesting comment from Chris Helenius in Finland that there are ways to get matching curves around a corner when using the Round Corners effect. […]

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 […]

Tutorial: How To Design a Transit Diagram

August 30, 2011
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One thing I often get asked regarding my transit diagrams is how I go about actually creating them. Originally, I just jumped right in and pushed things around on a page in Illustrator until it looked okay. These days, I’m far more organised, meticulous and precise with my work and I think it shows in the quality of my diagrams. Here’s a few tips and tricks that I live by when working on them: Plan […]