Earlier this year, I was commissioned to create a series of trade route maps for Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean, a leading global provider of deep-sea ocean transportation for cars, trucks, rolling equipment and breakbulk cargo. The client had already developed some rough “subway map” visualizations for their network, noting that their current geographical maps of longer routes compressed many ports into very small areas while leaving vast swathes of empty ocean taking up the majority of space. Their theory was that a subway map visualization could expand the denser areas (especially Europe and Japan/Korea), while vastly reducing the amount of wasted empty space – a problem not too dissimilar to that faced by H.C. Beck when he first drew up his famous Tube Map in 1931.
This is one of my latest works: an integrated rail diagram for the Baltimore and Washington DC areas. The style is inspired by Vignelli’s subway maps from the 70s. There are no intentional geographic references. I have tried to show all rail services – heavy, light rail and streetcar – in the same manner (all strokes are of the same thickness). Station indicators are different depending on service/transportation mode (circle = metro, subway, square = light rail, streetcar, diamond = regional, commuter rail). The diagram is supposed to reflect current services and lines under construction and two proposed infill stations (metro: Potomac Yard; commuter: Potomac Shores). What are your thoughts on this?
Transit Maps says:
A really nice bit of work from Chris here, which overall does a good job of dealing with the differing scales of the component systems. Because of its more tightly spaced light rail lines, Baltimore comes off looking a little bit cramped in comparison to DC, but it’s not a huge deal. On the other hand, this is probably the best representation of the Purple Line I’ve seen so far, with a simple trajectory and lovely, evenly-spaced stations.
It’s perhaps a little unfortunate that the shortest line – the current DC Streetcar, here renamed as Line 4 – is visually the strongest, as it draws the viewer’s eye right to it. All the other streetcar/light rail lines are pastel hues, so the dark charcoal grey used here seems out of place.
The different station marker shapes are a good idea in principle, though they can be a little hard to tell apart at a glance. Particular care needs to be taken with the square and the diamond and their relationship to the line that they sit on to prevent confusion – when lines are angled at 45 degrees like on the left of the map, it becomes even more difficult to quickly tell if a station is a square or a diamond.
I personally prefer to flip the Silver Line (Chris’ Line F) underneath the Orange Line (Line E) at East Falls Church so that it travels across the map sandwiched between the Orange and Blue lines. This gets rid of the need for the dinky little jog that the Silver Line has to do after Stadium-Armory, which always seems a little detailed and fussy in a diagram like this.
Our rating: Very competent and stylish, and definitely makes one dream of a day when rail transit in this region is unified under a single fare structure, much like a German Verkehrsverbund. Three-and-a-half stars.
Ever since I first designed it way back in 2012, I’ve tried to keep my popular alternative Boston MBTA rapid transit map updated as new stations opened and other changes to the network happened. However, with the opening of the Silver Line route to Chelsea (SL3) earlier this year, certain parts of my design just weren’t going to cut it anymore. Looking at the old version, it was also painfully obvious to me that I could do a much better job now with all that I’ve learned over the intervening six years. So! Redesign!
View the map below (updated to March 2022 with the opening of the GLX to Union Square), or click here to view it full-screen.
First things first: note that this an evolution of the previous version, not a complete redesign. So a lot of the general look and feel remains the same – the 3:2 ratio of the overall dimensions, the use of a circle centred on Bowdoin to define the scale and grid of the map, the distinctive configuration of the Green Line branches, etc. These are all things that I was still happy with from the previous version, so they became part of the building blocks for this version.
One thing I really wanted this new map to be was a little less generic than my old one: its station connectors and iconography really looked like they could have belonged to pretty much any city. So I looked back to the original 1967 MBTA spider maps, which used black dots for stations with thin connector lines between lines at North Station and Haymarket; while the individual line map used coloured squares to indicate connections to other lines (see image to left). I used these as inspiration for the station markers on my map, drawing on the MBTA’s heritage while also updating them slightly to account for the modern system’s increased complexity. Using black dots meant that I had to brighten up the line colours considerably from the old version, which used richer “heritage” hues, like crimson for the Red Line in honour of Harvard instead of a normal red. The 1967 spider map also inspired my use of a thinner route line for the Mattapan Line, which really helps differentiate it from the adjacent Red Line at Ashmont. While it may seem heretical to some, I also ditched Helvetica Medium as the map’s typeface, opting for the superbly legible Fira Sans instead (also used on my Amtrak Subway Map). Finally, I’ve employed the superb Accessible Icon to indicate accessibility at rail stations – it reads much better at smaller sizes than the old ISO Standards icon; and it originated in Boston, so its use seems highly appropriate.
From here, a lot of the work was just being far more deliberate with how the map was structured. More elements were purposefully aligned with each other this time around, which creates a cleaner, more organised feel. For example, the Red Line from Alewife all the way down to Braintree is now a perfectly symmetrical bow shape, which pleases me immensely. The Needham Line (included in full this time around!) lines up with Forest Hills station, then Morton St, then Shawmut. The Mattapan Line aligns with the Greenbush Line. The Red Line bullet at Braintree aligns with the Blue Line bullet at Wonderland, defining the eastern edge of the network. There’s way too many examples to write about, so here’s a picture. The pink guide lines show intentional relationships between elements on the map: note in particular how the baselines of station labels line up all across the map to create invisible horizontal gridlines.
The Silver Line was simplified a lot from the old map: running three lines in parallel for the SL1, SL2 and SL3 out of South Station was going to be too unwieldy, so one line was to represent all trunk services. I also committed to horizontal labels for the Silver Line, so the SL2 down to Design Center doesn’t quite maintain its true geographical relationship to the Red Line now, extending far further south than it should. However, I think this is a worthwhile tradeoff, as the Silver Line is now a lot more legible and attractive. The new SL3 up to Chelsea integrates itself into the network very cleanly, I think. In a little bit of a cheat, I haven’t used accessibility icons for the Silver Line in order to make the map a bit less cluttered, although its full accessibility status is noted in the legend at the top.
Other things I’m really pleased with: the simplified geography of the coastline and the fading gradient blue to represent water. The even spacing of all the stations on the Orange Line (the northern half was compressed a lot on the old version simply because I was running out of room). The use of bullets to indicate the downtown Green Line branch turnaround stations (also explained fully in the legend). The perfect “Y” bifurcation of the commuter rail lines at Back Bay. The detailed and accurate depiction of the station layout and services at Readville. The indication that only the Silver Line is accessible at Boylston. Very few labels cutting across route lines (There’s only three, compared to at least 11 on the previous version).
For me, this new version is a huge improvement over the old one – not just in how it looks, but also in the way that I pulled the whole thing together. The design gelled right from the start, and I made almost no compromises to the design rules that I set up at the start of the project – always a big indicator of success! While my memory is hazy of the process from six years ago, this version felt like it took far less time and wasn’t anywhere near as frustrating.
Gotham City Subway Map on the set of the new Joker movie filming at Bedford Park Blvd station. What are your thoughts on this?
Transit Maps says:
There’s plenty of other posts out there on the internet that talk about the innumerable easter eggs in this map – Kane County, Starlin Avenue, etc. – so I’m just going to talk about the map itself here.
Previously, The Dark Knight Rises riffed off the current New York Subway map, so it’s fun to see this movie use a Vignelli-inspired map instead, even if it’s not a perfect stylistic homage. I mean, randomly angled labels on a Vignelli diagram? It just wouldn’t happen. The network itself also doesn’t make a whole lot of sense: what happens to the “H” from Burnside when it joins onto the “K” near Fort Hamilton? Where does the “8″ end and the “9″ begin? Most of the routes seem to be unnecessarily circuitous – this network really needs a couple of good, straight trunk lines instead of all this weaving around.
The “How to Use This Map” text at the top left of the map has been cribbed directly off the Vignelli diagram, although with poor spelling and punctuation. The Gotham Heights neighbourhood label covers up a couple of station names, which is pretty unforgivable. The GTA logo is pretty neat, if a bit large on the map.
Very notable is that the general geography of Gotham City – the shape and position of the islands – remains faithful to what’s been established in the comics and The Dark Knight Rises, even if locality names and the entire transit network itself are completely different.
A pair of wonderful diagrammatic pocket maps showing the F-Zug or “Long-Distance Train” intercity services (in blue) and the Trans-Europe Express (TEE) services (in red) of West Germany in the summer of 1969. The first diagram shows southbound routes, while the second shows northbound. Each diagram also serves as a schedule, with arrival and departure times denoted clearly along each route line. A few non-standard angles don’t detract from the excellent draftsmanship on display here: I particularly like the sweeping 90-degree curve between Cologne and Duisburg, with no fewer than 13 routes shown.
Of particular note is the prominence of the area around Cologne and the Ruhr – enlarged many times over for clarity – which dominates the map in terms of both stations and routes.
The evocative route names in the list to the right are also rather wonderful – Rheingold, Rembrandt, Porta Westfalica among them – and so much more interesting than the bland numerical designation so many European trains receive today.
Our rating: Making a complex network look simple. the current DB Intercity map (PDF link) could look to this as inspiration on how to do it right. Five glorious stars.
A few months ago I made a trolleybus routes map for my hometown Kemerovo. Map is considered to become an official map of Kemerovo trolleybus system soon.
This is a very competent map that Kirill has designed, although I do feel that I’ve seen some of the elements used to create it before in this 2015 map of the tram network of Chelyabinsk by Ilya Birman and Alexander Karavaev. The flared station ticks, enlarged route designation numbers arranged across the route lines, shadows where lines pass under another one and even the reduction of the city’s coat of arms to a black and white version are all very reminiscent of that work for me.
Leaving that aside, I do wonder why the map doesn’t incorporate Kemerovo’s five-line tram network alongside the trolleybuses. It always seems odd to me when complementary transit services are presented on separate maps with no indication that any other mode exists, or “mode vacuum” as I like to call it.
Other thoughts: I like the stylistic treatment of the water on the Tom River, though it looks a little unfinished on the other tributary rivers. The icons for major city buildings are nicely executed, though I do prefer it when all the buildings are drawn from the same perspective, as this gives greater unity to the map. Here, three are drawn from street level but the fourth is drawn from an aerial perspective. Though the map is largely self-explanatory, a legend would still be nice. A bilingual Russian/English version might be nice to see – always a fun design challenge to make that work.
From an anonymous reader: Someone recently showed me an article in the magazine Railway Age that reviewed the software application LineMap Draw. Have you heard of it? Any thoughts about it? It says it would save time creating maps. It’s only available for PCs, so as a Mac-user, I’m not able try out the free demo. I am also skeptical about using it over a tried-and-true vector program like Illustrator. More info can be found here.
Transit Maps says:
I hadn’t heard of this software at all before this message, so I headed over to the website to check it out. Realistically, I can’t see this as a replacement for Adobe Illustrator for any professional map makers, or for amateurs who want to learn how to make industry-standard maps. It’s just too simplistic and limited in its functions to be able to create complex, aesthetically pleasing maps, as the screenshot above demonstrates. That’s a pretty rough transit map by anyone’s definition.
It might have been useful as a tool for hobbyists who wanted to develop a quick map – maybe of a fantasy network – without the learning curve and expense of Illustrator, but the “Home” version is absolutely crippled with a maximum canvas size of 1200px by 1200px, which is just 4 inches square at 300dpi output. If you wanted to print something at a halfway decent size of A3, for example, you’d have to shell out for the “Large” version, which is €149 ($US170), not an insignificant sum. To me, the whole licensing system of the software makes little sense – five different versions, each with an upper limit on the size of the output (Home, Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large). It all sounds rather frustrating and confusing – not to mention the fact that the software outputs as JPG only, which is pretty much a deal-breaker on its own.
So, no, I can’t recommend this software at all. If you’re serious about making transit maps, then vector-based illustration software is the only way to go. Illustrator is the industry standard, but great maps can be made with Inkscape, Affinity Designer and more.
A map showing the extent of the streetcar network in Montreal in 1893. Most of the lines at this time were horse-drawn, though electrification of the system had already begun. “The Rocket”, Montreal’s first electric streetcar, made its maiden journey in September 1892, and all lines were electrified by 1894.
Here’s a handsome map of electric rail transportation in and around Portland, Oregon that – somewhat curiously – I hadn’t come across before. For the most part, it correlates with my own research into the network in the 1920s, though there are two little stub lines shown that I haven’t previously seen on any other map. The first of these is a branch on the Oregon City interurban from the Gladstone stop eastwards a short distance to “Gladstone Park”, while the second branches off from Fairview on the Troutdale Division to an unnamed station next to what looks like today’s Sandy Boulevard.
Strangely, the yellow “Observation Route” seems to be made up of multiple different streetcar routes within Portland, rather than being one cohesive service. The foremost of these was the Council Crest (CC) line, which ran to an amusement park located at the highest point within the city in the southwest hills.
Also of note is the prominent display (due to the map’s unusual perspective) of the Willamette Valley Southern’s interurban line from Oregon City to Mount Angel, which is the line “controlled” (but not owned) by the electric company denoted in the text to the top right. There are lots of other interesting facts in the text, including the gross earnings of the company in 1923 – $10,825,380. The new hydroelectric power plant mentioned is the Oak Grove hydro dam on the Clackamas River, still owned by PGE to this day and still generating electricity.
In short, a superbly drawn and fascinating map from near the end of Portland’s streetcar heyday, full of historical interest.
