A fascinating look at the same part of the new Art.Lebedev Studios-designed Moscow transit map – one specifically designed to show multiple modes of transportation in Moscow (all with <10 minute frequencies, I believe) instead of just the Metro.

The draft version is via Jarrett Walker’s website, while the final map comes straight from the horse’s mouth at the Art.Lebedev Studios website. At first glance, they appear almost identical, but it’s the tiny little adjustments and differences between the two that I find so interesting and that demonstrate meticulous attention to detail that make a world-class transit map.

Personally, I actually find some of the elements of the draft map more successful than the final map, not the least of which is the simply stunning circular dotted pattern used for the parklands. It adds a lovely subtle texture to the map which I find very visually pleasing and evocative, although I will admit that the plain green background of the final map does makes the text a little more legible.

The other odd change in the final map is the way that some route numbers are now set to follow their diagonally-running route line. For some reason, this makes the two separate route numbers (71 and 628) in the middle top of the map detail above run into each other visually, looking more like one long route number – 71628. In the draft version, these routes are set in two lines, one below the other, leaving no room for any ambiguity.

The addition of a background grid to the final map is a necessity, but it does look a little better without it, I feel.

But there are improvements as well: the TV Tower icon now has a thin background colour keyline around it to lift it out of the background and add dimensionality. This works really effectively, especially where the icon crosses in front of the blue monorail line.

Other things to note: the beautiful icons, the superbly understated colour palette, and the excellent handling of the difficult bilingual requirements of such a detailed map.