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London Underground Map
Author(s):
Harry Beck
Institution:
Transport for London - London Underground
Year:
1933
URL:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1106.aspx
Project Description:
The father of all subway maps, the London Underground map, was the brainchild of Underground electrical draughtsman, Harry Beck, who produced this imaginative yet stunningly simple design back in 1933.

Beck based the map on the circuit diagrams he drew for his day job, stripping the sprawling Tube network down to basics and ignoring the exact geographical location of the tube stations. The result was an instantly clear and comprehensible chart that would become an essential guide to London - and a template for transport maps the world over.

Beck's revolutionary design, with certain modifications and additions, survives to the present day and is set to serve London Underground and its millions of customers for many years to come. The first image represents Beck's original map from 1933, while the second image shows the 2007 version of the London Underground map. To view the map according to its accurate geographical location click here.

Comments (2):
June 15, 2007 Good day, I have a framed behind glass Harry Beck's 36 inch by 12 inch London Tube map (see yard stick in picture) of high quality. I assume it's date to be between 1949 and 1951. Could you please give me any information you can about approximant value and exact date. Thanking you in advance. Sincerely, Dennis Jacksonville, Florida 32205 DLTJAX@bellsouth.net

Posted by Dennis on Jun 15, 2007 at 8:20 PM (GMT)

This is a great example of how timeless infographics can be. Yes there were information designers back in the 30's doing what we here are doing today.

Posted by Matthew on Mar 28, 2008 at 7:17 PM (GMT)

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