Slightly tangential to my usual posts, but cool nonetheless. The Metrobits.org website showcases around 170 Metro logos (and other train systems as well – Sydney’s CityRail is most decidedly not a Metro, but is shown) all one page. As you might expect, there’s a lot of variations on the letter “M”!
Having had a look at Madrid’s current map (2.5 stars), I thought we’d delve into the past and see what came before it. The first thing to notice is how much smaller the system was in 1981: only 10 Metro lines instead of 12 — and many of those are much shorter than now, and no light rail lines. Have we been there? No. What we like: A paragon of clean, functional transit map design. […]
It’s coming! WMATA’s Rush Plus map and service changes are almost here, and ads are appearing on Metro trains around D.C. Source: tracktwentynine/Flickr
Hardly the most original idea in the world, but nicely executed. More details:Advertising Agency: Park&Co, Phoenix Arizona, USACreative Director: Luis MedinaSenior Art Director: Shawn HardyCopywriter: Dan OboylePublished: June 2011 Source: helloyoucreatives
If the name of your station is in light grey, the trains from this platform are not going there. Simple but effective wayfinding signage from Rome’s Metro. Source: Matt Taylor Hobbs/Flickr
The very best transit diagrams have every element working in harmony to present a cohesive visual message. When even one element is out of place, a map can suffer. When that element is as important as the depiction of the region’s geography, the results can be disastrous, as shown by this map of Rotterdam’s Metro. Have we been there? No. What we like: The routes themselves are shown very clearly, with interchange stations and the […]
The simplified rectilinear grid is such a familiar form for transit maps that when we see something that breaks that mould, the results can be visually stunning. That’s certainly the case with this beautiful map from designer Erik Hammink, who uses the natural circular shape of Amsterdam’s canals to great effect. Have we been there? Yes, although I’ve only used the tram network rather than the Metro service. What we like: Lovely, minimalist European design, […]
Here’s a large-format multi-modal map from the Maryland Transit Authority, centered on Baltimore. Contrast it against this previously reviewed map of similar scope from the Los Angeles Metro, and it can be seen that the MTA map has got a far better balance of design and usability, and is actually a quite superb and comprehensive map. Have we been there? No. What we like: Incredibly legible for such a dense map. It shows light rail, […]
Milan’s Metropolitana subway system is Italy’s largest, and is supported by a comprehensive network of suburban and regional trains. It’s also linked by an amazing tram system, but no indication of those services, or connections to it, are presented on this map. Have we been there? Yes, although I didn’t use the Metro, preferring to walk around Milan’s dense historic core. What we like: Use of blue for the thinner suburban rail lines gives them […]
Requested by clubmaintenant. Another fine example of a multimodal map, this time from Lyon, France. This map shows Métro, tram, bus and funicular service, as well as indications of connections to SNCF mainline train services in a map that wears its London Underground influences on its sleeve. Have we been there? No. What we like: Lovely clear layout, with almost all lines reduced to horizontals or verticals – only a few 45-degree route lines are […]
