This map was printed just 8 years after the classic but initially ‘radical’ tube map design was first created. The graphic designer who pioneered the style was Harry Beck back in 1933. Beck was actually an electrical draughtman and you can see how his understanding of circuits and diagrams influenced his style of map design.
Quite possibly the most iconic wayfinding design to date, it’s so beautifully simple and clean. Beck stripped the concept of the London Underground down to its bare minimum, understanding that distance, wasn’t an integral factor on the highspeed tube network and so simply disregarded geographical accuracy. Simply naming the stops and color-coding the lines they were found on was innovative, brave and the key to simplicity.
The London publicity department initially rejected the map because it was too radical, but when a trial run was done on the general public, it was an instant success and so Beck’s superiors gave in and printed the first run of maps. The design was clear and coherent, even to first-time travellers to the city. Beck’s revolutionary design has been modified over the years, but the basic structure and format is the same. It soon became a template for transport maps all over the world.