All posts tagged: graphic design

Historical Map: July 22, 1974 Sketch of the Washington DC Metro Map by Lance Wyman

September 29, 2015
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Historical Maps
Tags:

Here’s a fantastic bit of Washington Metro history that I hadn’t seen before: an original working drawing of the now-iconic map from 1974, two years before the system opened (see the opening day map here). Interestingly, it looks like Wyman was experimenting with textural treatments for the route lines at this time – stripes for the Red Line, stars for the Blue, etc. – an idea I’m ever so glad he abandoned, because it would […]

Photo: “Transit Maps” Business Cards!

September 28, 2015
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Miscellany
Tags:

I made some Transit Maps business cards! Printed by Moo, they feature one common front with all my contact details, and 25 different backs with artwork from all the many and varied maps that I’ve created over the years. They look absolutely gorgeous, and the satin finish card stock is superb: no flimsy “almost paper” card here! (Now to remember to carry them with me.)

Reader Question: What’s a Good Size to Draw a Transit Map?

July 14, 2015
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Questions
Tags:

Reader Question: I dabble a bit in designing fictional transit maps,but I’ve always wondered about these two questions (if I may). 1) What is a standard and/or good canvas size when drawing a map? 2) When drawing a map where you want to indicate multimodality, but give priority to one mode (say, a metro map showing light rail or commuter connections), how is that best achieved? Is it preferable to use icons at stations or […]

Historical Ad: Swissair “European Rapid Transit System” Poster, c. 1980s(?)

May 22, 2015
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Advertising, Historical Maps
Tags:

Sent my way by long-time correspondent, Kyril Negoda. I’m not entirely sure of the vintage of this, as the archive it resides in covers the entire period from 1980–2000, and none of the images have dates attached to them. There’s definitely an early 1980s vibe to it, though – mainly from the tightly kerned Futura Bold heading at the top. I’ve seen transit map-styled airline maps before (here and here, for example), but this one […]

Quick Project: Amtrak Timetable Redesign

April 15, 2015
comments 10
Filed Under:
Miscellany
Tags:

After complaining on Twitter about how I found information in Amtrak’s timetables difficult to decipher, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and do a quick little redesign to prove my point. The brief to myself: it had to contain all the same information, use the same typeface (Frutiger), and fit in the same space as the original. Everything else was fair game, including colours, as the timetables are printed in four-colour brochures. However, […]

New York Philharmonic/Subway by Djamika Smith

March 11, 2015
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Popular Culture
Tags:

Submitted by Benjamin, who says: It’s a few years old, but this New York Philharmonic poster by Djamika Smith is pretty cool. Transit Maps says: A fun idea, nicely executed. I particularly like that the route lines appear to be labelled as “A” through “G”: the notes of a musical scale. Source: Djamika Smith’s website – link no longer active

Historical Map: Original MBTA “Spider” Map

February 19, 2015
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Historical Maps
Tags:

Taken from Cambridge Seven Associates’ 1965 Manual of Guidelines and Standards. A design classic in its purest form, only slightly marred by the poor registration in the manual itself (the dots should all be centred along each route line). Source: MIT Libraries

Project: Prototype U.S. Highways Shield (1926), Digital Recreation

December 14, 2014
Leave a comment
Filed Under:
Miscellany
Tags:

While doing research for my recent 1947 Interstate Highways map recreation, I stumbled across some scans of American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) road sign specifications dated from the 1920s. The very first page has a dimensioned drawing of the then brand new U.S. Highways shield that I find extremely interesting, as it doesn't quite match the the shield as it actually first appeared on real world signage in 1927.

Project: 2015 Sydney Festival Route Map

October 23, 2014
comments 3
Filed Under:
Mash-Up Maps, My Transit Maps
Tags:

If you've ever been to Sydney in January, then you'll know that the Sydney Festival is a big deal. Running for almost the entire month, it brings together the very best in the arts from around Australia and the world – music, dance, performance and more. So I was more than a little bit excited when I was commissioned to produce this thematic "route map" of highlighted events, to be used both online and in the Festival's printed program/brochure.