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February 13, 2008

We knew it….the Underground is a Woman!

1302.map.jpg
After masquerading as functional, rational, squared-off and decidedly masculine entity for over a century, the London Underground has this week come out as a woman.

A new, sweeping, curvaceous tube map has come to light: it rather resembles a multi-coloured Medusa, or perhaps a mad conductor…but be careful what you see in it as the creator, Max Roberts, is in fact a psychologist.

The original map by Harry Beck is of course a work of topological genius, and has become an icon in its own right (although Londonist finds the LU thong frankly rather scary). But it offers very little resemblance to the journey and direction which you actually want to take.

Roberts’ new map goes some way towards correcting that – lines go in the right direction, and you don’t get that feeling of momentary panic that you’re on the wrong train ‘cos you’re apparently travelling north to go south.

What do you think? And how do we get TfL to take it on?

Image from flickr courtesy of the inimitable Annie Mole.

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Comments (2) [rss]

bah !

i think the geographical map is way cooler.. and its been around for years..

http://www.clarksbury.com/cdl/maps.html

:)

 

Thanks swinhoe - This map isn't trying to be a geographical Tube Map though. We're all well aware of the geographical Tube Map and I had written about it years ago before I began the blog.

Interestingly the link you reference doesn't acknowledge the designer of that geographical map - Simon Clarke.

What Max is trying to do with this map is to produce something that's easier on the eye than the current map. He explains his original version in this post and in the post for Max's Curvy Tube Map version 2.

 
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