London

underground secrets

tube map

&

Frank Pick

British transport administrator
He was chief executive officer and vice-chairman of the London Passenger Transport Board from its creation in 1933 until 1940
Pick prepared the transport plan for the mass evacuation of civilians from London at the outbreak of war and produced reports on the wartime use of canals and ports.
Strong interest in design and its use in public life
Development of the London Underground's corporate identity by commissioning eye-catching commercial art, graphic design and modern architecture, establishing a highly recognisable brand

Before he took control of advertising, posters had been stuck up on any available surface on station buildings and platform walls in a crowded jumble of shapes and sizes that led to complaints from passengers that it was difficult to find the station name.
Pick standardised commercial poster sizes on printers' double crown sheets, arranging these in organised groups to enable the station name to be easily seen.
The Underground's own promotional posters were smaller, using single or paired double royal sheets, and were arranged separately from the commercial advertising.
To make the Underground Group's posters and signage more distinctive he commissioned calligrapher and typographer Edward Johnston to design a clear new typeface.
He wanted a typeface that would ensure that the Underground Group's posters would not be mistaken for advertisements; it should have "the bold simplicity of the authentic lettering of the finest periods" and belong "unmistakably to the twentieth century".

" Pick was aware that almost every attraction in London was within reach of the Underground, or at least could be marketed as such. Eye-catching posters enticed prospective travellers indirectly, by focussing on the destination rather than the mode of travel."

" The test of the goodness of a thing is its fitness for use. If it fails on this first test, no amount of ornamentation or finish will make it any better; it will only make it more expensive, more foolish."

Harry Beck

English draughtsman, not a designer design London Tube Map at the beginning of 20 century
London Tube map is considered to be one of the biggest modern artwork
He worked on this map in his free time - it was his passion/ obsession, his life, he tried to improve it all the time
London Underground was initially sceptical of Beck's radical proposal, an uncommissioned spare-time project, but tentatively introduced it to the public in a small pamphlet in 1933. It was immediately popular, and the Underground has used topological maps to illustrate the network ever since.
The previous map was exact map - every station was spaced to geographical scale, interchanges were unclear, every line was represented by curve showing exact path and above-ground streets on top
-> He ignored geography and scale -> his map replaced curves by straight lines - horizontal and vertical 45-degree angles, stations are equal distanced and he removed above-groud street grid
Lines seems to be closer to the center - reachable
His new idea for a map that was based upon the concept of an electrical schematic rather than a geographic map
He got paid 5 guineas for his artwork and tiny name in the corner - v
1945 version he considered as his masterpiece - thanks to its clarity

" FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION "

TASK:

Design piece of map in Harry Beck style

this is the current tube map of London (up) and mine map od Worcester (left)