Submitted by Matias, who says:

Waxholmsbolaget is a big ferry operator in Stockholm, connecting most of the small islands in the Stockholm archipelago. They have recently updated their line map to a very diagrammatic style. The idea is good, to make it easier to find the lines and where you are going, but it massively distorts the network and the omission of geographic features makes it very difficult to orient yourself. What do you think?

Transit Maps says:

I commented briefly on this diagram on Twitter last week, but I’ll record my thoughts here in a little more detail as well.

First off, it looks to me like the design of this diagram has been heavily influenced by the current Stockholm rail network diagram (PDF link), as it uses similar typography, design elements and symbology. The deep blue background colour is a nice touch (and an improvement over the flat grey of the rail diagram), as is the way that the route/timetable numbers are presented on little nautical pennants. Overall, it’s very nicely designed – it has a solid set of design rules that have been applied consistently as well as a comprehensive legend and annotations on the map.

Despite all these positives, I just don’t think the diagram actually really works for trip planning. As Matias says, the massive distortion of the network and the lack of any geographical cues makes it very difficult for a reader to orient themselves. In reality, the network is much taller than it is wide, spread out as it is along Sweden’s eastern coastline, but the diagram is landscape instead of portrait. Any sense of distance or spatial relationship between the different stops is lost completely. There’s also the whole problem of what actually constitutes a “route” in the context of this diagram, but that’s better dealt with in this Reddit thread, which has a similar view of this diagram and its usefulness.

It’s worth noting that the previous map was fully geographical, and I’m not sure that’s the right solution either. It gives a much better idea of how the system physically fits together, but there’s a lot of empty, wasted space as well. Maybe a hybrid simplified map with the more complex areas enlarged somewhat for clarity would be a good compromise?

Our final word: Looks very stylish, but is it actually useful? I’d say not, and I have my doubts about a full “subway diagram” design like this being appropriate for a complex ferry network like this.

Source: Official Waxholmsbolaget site