Unofficial Map: “Barcelona Tourist Guide” Metro Map As you should know, official transit maps are copyrighted materials. Commercial reproduction of the map by third parties normally requires permission and payment of a licence fee — often a hefty one. A lot of people don’t want to pay that fee, so they design their own version of the map instead. This can result in maps that are eerily similar to the official one, nicely designed but different maps, or horrendous monstrosities. Guess which category this map falls into? Have we been there? Yes. And with the official map (October 2011, 4.5 stars), the Metro is super easy to use. What we like: At least the lines are the right colours. What we don’t like: Sooooo ugly. Call-out boxes for every station waste space and look terrible. The worst example is Trinitat Nova station, which has two call-out boxes, one for Lines 3 and 11 and a separate one for Line 4, because the designer couldn’t work out how to have the three different line colours in the background of one call-out box. Which way is north? Barcelona is actually oriented about halfway between the cardinal points, so giving some sort of directional indication on the Metro map is very important. The official map includes major roads, the coastline and a north pointer to help out: this map gives you nothing at all. What appears to be north here is actually north-east. The integrated tram system is missing entirely, as there’s simply no room for it to fit. There’s actually a second map on the website for this system, where the main Metro map is tinted back without labels and the tram system is slapped on over the top. Our rating: Hideous and confusing. I thought long and hard about giving this a zero, but surely there’s still something worse than this out there. (Source: Barcelona Tourist Guide)

Unofficial Map: “Barcelona Tourist Guide” Metro Map

As you should know, official transit maps are copyrighted materials. Commercial reproduction of the map by third parties normally requires permission and payment of a licence fee — often a hefty one.

A lot of people don’t want to pay that fee, so they design their own version of the map instead. This can result in maps that are eerily similar to the official one, nicely designed but different maps, or horrendous monstrosities. Guess which category this map falls into?

Have we been there? Yes. And with the official map (October 2011, 4.5 stars), the Metro is super easy to use.

What we like: At least the lines are the right colours.

What we don’t like: Sooooo ugly. Call-out boxes for every station waste space and look terrible. The worst example is Trinitat Nova station, which has two call-out boxes, one for Lines 3 and 11 and a separate one for Line 4, because the designer couldn’t work out how to have the three different line colours in the background of one call-out box.

Which way is north? Barcelona is actually oriented about halfway between the cardinal points, so giving some sort of directional indication on the Metro map is very important. The official map includes major roads, the coastline and a north pointer to help out: this map gives you nothing at all. What appears to be north here is actually north-east.

The integrated tram system is missing entirely, as there’s simply no room for it to fit. There’s actually a second map on the website for this system, where the main Metro map is tinted back without labels and the tram system is slapped on over the top.

Our rating: Hideous and confusing. I thought long and hard about giving this a zero, but surely there’s still something worse than this out there.

Half a Star

(Source: Barcelona Tourist Guide)

  1. 12th February 2013
  2. Notes: 8
    3. #transit map #metro map #subway map #subway #Metro #Barcelona Metro #Barcelona #Spain #Europe #unofficial #0.5 stars #hall of shame
Official Map: TRAX and FrontRunner Rail Map, Salt Lake City, Utah (December 2012) Today, the FrontRunner commuter rail system opens for revenue service south of Salt Lake all the way down to Provo, and there’s a new version of the map to reflect this new service. I reviewed a previous version of this map back in July, and I didn’t have much positive to say about it then - and my opinion has not been changed with this new iteration. Quite a few people have submitted this new map to me, and they’ve all been extremely critical of it as well. Have we been there? Yes, but I haven’t caught any trains. What we like: To be honest: nothing. What we don’t like: Almost all the flaws from the previous version of the map remain: the one thing that has improved is the removal of the huge labels explaining the concept of a transfer station. Downtown remains cramped and ugly, while the labelling of stations remains a sloppy, disorganised mess — possibly even worse than before — with some station names now a ridiculously long way from their related station marker (such as North Temple Bridge/Guadalupe). Speaking of labels, the “FrontRunner” and “FrontRunner South” labels are inexcusably set in completely different fonts: the former in Swiss (a cheap Helvetica clone), the latter in Arial… look at the capital “R” and you’ll see they have completely different shapes. And why does the South FrontRunner route line extend past Provo when it’s the end of the line? Our rating: Simply terrible. One submitter of this map, Garrett Smith, sums it up very eloquently, I think: “You know, it saddens me just a tad bit. Salt Lake City has made such an investment in its rail infrastructure, beginning with the initial 16-mile stretch of the Blue Line between downtown and Sandy in 1999. A mere fourteen years later, we’ve seen the construction of a 90-mile commuter rail line linking the entirety of the urban conglomeration in which Salt Lake lies, as well as massive light rail expansion. To show for it? We’ve got one of the worst transit maps around.” Another anonymous submitter simply calls this map “embarrassing”… and it is. With the new FrontRunner extension, there was an opportunity for a fresh look at this map, a chance to create something vibrant, modern and attractive that matched the obvious quality of the system itself. Instead, we get this. Half a star. (Source: Official UTA FrontRunner schedule page)

Official Map: TRAX and FrontRunner Rail Map, Salt Lake City, Utah (December 2012)

Today, the FrontRunner commuter rail system opens for revenue service south of Salt Lake all the way down to Provo, and there’s a new version of the map to reflect this new service. I reviewed a previous version of this map back in July, and I didn’t have much positive to say about it then - and my opinion has not been changed with this new iteration. Quite a few people have submitted this new map to me, and they’ve all been extremely critical of it as well.

Have we been there? Yes, but I haven’t caught any trains.

What we like: To be honest: nothing.

What we don’t like: Almost all the flaws from the previous version of the map remain: the one thing that has improved is the removal of the huge labels explaining the concept of a transfer station. Downtown remains cramped and ugly, while the labelling of stations remains a sloppy, disorganised mess — possibly even worse than before — with some station names now a ridiculously long way from their related station marker (such as North Temple Bridge/Guadalupe).

Speaking of labels, the “FrontRunner” and “FrontRunner South” labels are inexcusably set in completely different fonts: the former in Swiss (a cheap Helvetica clone), the latter in Arial… look at the capital “R” and you’ll see they have completely different shapes.

And why does the South FrontRunner route line extend past Provo when it’s the end of the line?

Our rating: Simply terrible. One submitter of this map, Garrett Smith, sums it up very eloquently, I think:

“You know, it saddens me just a tad bit. Salt Lake City has made such an investment in its rail infrastructure, beginning with the initial 16-mile stretch of the Blue Line between downtown and Sandy in 1999. A mere fourteen years later, we’ve seen the construction of a 90-mile commuter rail line linking the entirety of the urban conglomeration in which Salt Lake lies, as well as massive light rail expansion. To show for it? We’ve got one of the worst transit maps around.”

Another anonymous submitter simply calls this map “embarrassing”… and it is. With the new FrontRunner extension, there was an opportunity for a fresh look at this map, a chance to create something vibrant, modern and attractive that matched the obvious quality of the system itself. Instead, we get this. Half a star.

Half a Star

(Source: Official UTA FrontRunner schedule page)

  1. 10th December 2012
  2. Notes: 11
    3. #transit map #rail map #light rail #commuter rail #Salt Lake City #Utah #USA #United States of America #official #0.5 stars
Official Map: Suggested Bus Network of Wellington, New Zealand When Brent Palmer submitted his own frequent service map of Wellington, he also sent along a link to a PDF of a diagram that the Greater Wellington Regional Council is using as a discussion piece to promote changes to the bus network. I think Brent describes it best: There are plans for a more comprehensive public transport network in Wellington. What a shame that the schematic depicting it is a monstrosity that looks like it was done by the work-experience kid. You’re gonna need eye-bleach. Wow. This thing is simply terrible. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it had been thrown together in Word or PowerPoint with the limited drawing tools available in those applications. But no-one would ever do that… would they? Metadata in the PDF reveals a document title of “Wellington Network Diagram for Advertorial”, so appallingly, it would seem that this is a map meant for public consumption, and is not just an internal planning document. Right now, I finally think that the Buffalo light rail map has some serious competition as the worst map to ever grace this blog. Half a star. (Link to PDF file - download at your own risk!)

Official Map: Suggested Bus Network of Wellington, New Zealand

When Brent Palmer submitted his own frequent service map of Wellington, he also sent along a link to a PDF of a diagram that the Greater Wellington Regional Council is using as a discussion piece to promote changes to the bus network.

I think Brent describes it best:

There are plans for a more comprehensive public transport network in Wellington. What a shame that the schematic depicting it is a monstrosity that looks like it was done by the work-experience kid. You’re gonna need eye-bleach.

Wow. This thing is simply terrible. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it had been thrown together in Word or PowerPoint with the limited drawing tools available in those applications. But no-one would ever do that… would they?

Metadata in the PDF reveals a document title of “Wellington Network Diagram for Advertorial”, so appallingly, it would seem that this is a map meant for public consumption, and is not just an internal planning document.

Right now, I finally think that the Buffalo light rail map has some serious competition as the worst map to ever grace this blog. Half a star.

Half a Star

(Link to PDF file - download at your own risk!)

  1. 23rd October 2012
  2. Notes: 7
    3. #transit map #bus map #bus #Wellington #New Zealand #official #0.5 Stars #map #cartography #Hall of Shame
Official Map: Buffalo, New York Having showcased some excellent transit map design, it’s time to see what happens when it all goes horribly wrong. This monstrosity is the official map - available on the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority’s website - for the light rail system of Buffalo, New York. My eyes hurt. Have we been there? No. What we like: It tells us where the trains stop. That is all. What we don’t like: Where to begin? The hilarious usage of a train symbol at each and every station, just so we don’t forget that trains might run on this light rail system. Uninspired and even downright ugly typography. Dark blue graphics on a dark green background are very hard to see, while red type on that same green background clashes horribly. Finally, the ridiculously over-the-top ornate compass rose puts the finishing touches on a complete disaster. Really, it’s just one line: things shouldn’t be this hard. Our rating: Ughh. Half a star. (Source: Official NFTA website)

Official Map: Buffalo, New York

Having showcased some excellent transit map design, it’s time to see what happens when it all goes horribly wrong. This monstrosity is the official map - available on the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority’s website - for the light rail system of Buffalo, New York. My eyes hurt.

Have we been there? No.

What we like: It tells us where the trains stop. That is all.

What we don’t like: Where to begin? The hilarious usage of a train symbol at each and every station, just so we don’t forget that trains might run on this light rail system. Uninspired and even downright ugly typography. Dark blue graphics on a dark green background are very hard to see, while red type on that same green background clashes horribly. Finally, the ridiculously over-the-top ornate compass rose puts the finishing touches on a complete disaster. Really, it’s just one line: things shouldn’t be this hard.

Our rating: Ughh. Half a star.

Half a Star

(Source: Official NFTA website)

  1. 26th October 2011
  2. Notes: 50
    3. #Buffalo #New York #USA #United States of America #cartography #light rail #official #transit map #0.5 stars