Question: Have you seen the interview Londonist did with the designer of the new London Underground map? Really fascinating!

Answer: I sure have! If anyone hasn’t seen it yet, then head over to the Londonist website and watch the interview here. 

Personally, I wish it was more in-depth and technical, but that’s because I’m a total and utter transit map-making nerd who loves that kind of stuff. The interview does make a couple of very interesting points, though…

First, the straight-up admission that the map is not as aesthetically pleasing as it once was. This is rightly attributed to the extra information that the map has to convey that the “classic” maps never had to deal with – fare zones, accessibility icons, Overground, DLR, and now Tramlink! – although I still feel that things could be handled a little better, even within the now-obvious limitations of the “Beck style”.

Secondly, the need to listen to and appease multiple stakeholders, all of whom have a say in the final map. This is something that us amateur transit map designers simply don’t have to deal with: we make something that we like and call it done. I took the fare zones off my own Tube Map redesign because I wanted to see what the modern map could look like without them, but it’s a mandated element for the official map and it’s the designer’s job to make that requirement look as practical and easy-to-use as possible.

Finally… would that be my dream job? Almost certainly, even with all the pressure of carrying on the legacy of the most famous transit map in the world.