Official Map: Metrô Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Here’s a map that’s going to be seen a lot by tourists over the next few years as Rio de Janeiro hosts both the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games. Will it stand up to such international scrutiny and join other transit maps as a definitive icon of its city? Probably not. Have we been there? No. What we like: Suitably bright and exotic Brazilian colour scheme. Relatively clean and simple design. What we don’t like: Poorly drawn route lines with some very uneven curves, which clash stylistically with the very straight “Subway Bus” route lines. Heavy-handed elements throughout the map, including very large and bold text for station names and enormous bicycle parking icons. Inconsistent placement of connection information: why is the “Cosme Velho” label placed below the station it connects to, when nearby stations have the label placed neatly to the side? Some absolutely hideous distorted text in the legend below the map. Our rating: Not great. 2 stars. (Source: Official Metrô Rio website)

Official Map: Metrô Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Here’s a map that’s going to be seen a lot by tourists over the next few years as Rio de Janeiro hosts both the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games. Will it stand up to such international scrutiny and join other transit maps as a definitive icon of its city?

Probably not.

Have we been there? No.

What we like: Suitably bright and exotic Brazilian colour scheme. Relatively clean and simple design.

What we don’t like: Poorly drawn route lines with some very uneven curves, which clash stylistically with the very straight “Subway Bus” route lines. Heavy-handed elements throughout the map, including very large and bold text for station names and enormous bicycle parking icons. Inconsistent placement of connection information: why is the “Cosme Velho” label placed below the station it connects to, when nearby stations have the label placed neatly to the side? Some absolutely hideous distorted text in the legend below the map.

Our rating: Not great. 2 stars.

2 Stars

(Source: Official Metrô Rio website)

  1. 30th May 2012
  2. Notes: 9
    3. #transit map #subway map #metro map #subway #metro #official #Rio de Janeiro #Rio #Brazil #South America #2 stars
Chicago “L” In-Car Map These narrow above-door spaces are a bitch to fit an entire system map into. This really is probably the best that can be done for a big system like Chicago’s. (Source: veryslowtimetraveler/Flickr)

Chicago “L” In-Car Map

These narrow above-door spaces are a bitch to fit an entire system map into. This really is probably the best that can be done for a big system like Chicago’s.

(Source: veryslowtimetraveler/Flickr)

  1. 28th May 2012
  2. Notes: 29
    3. #transit map #cartography #photo #Chicago #Illinois #USA #United States of America #CTA #subway #L
How the WMATA Rush+ Maps Are Printed Many thanks to Matt Johnson for telling me about this amazing photoset on Flickr that details the process involved in printing the new Rush+ station maps for Washington, DC’s Metro system. Click through to see the whole set! Even as an experienced graphic designer, I was amazed to see that the maps are screen printed - each colour on the map is printed one after the other, each using a separate screen with its own spot colour ink. With a map as complex as this, that means that there are a whopping twelve different colours to print! These being: river blue, park green, National Mall green, Blue Line, Orange Line, Yellow Line, Green Line, Red Line, Silver Line, District/County border grey, Beltway grey, and finally, black. I would have thought with the advances in digital printing and stochastic (micro) screening, that these could be produced digitally in one step instead of twelve, but maybe these are special long-lasting UV inks that will withstand many years of use without fading - an important consideration for station maps! In any case, these photos are a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a process that many people may not even think about. EDIT: A tweet from a Metro representative confirms that there are THIRTEEN colours used in the printing: 4 greys (Silver Line, Beltway grey, county border grey, and icon grey), 3 greens (parks, Mall, Green Line), 2 Blues (river, Blue Line), Black, Red, Yellow and Orange.
How the WMATA Rush+ Maps Are Printed Many thanks to Matt Johnson for telling me about this amazing photoset on Flickr that details the process involved in printing the new Rush+ station maps for Washington, DC’s Metro system. Click through to see the whole set! Even as an experienced graphic designer, I was amazed to see that the maps are screen printed - each colour on the map is printed one after the other, each using a separate screen with its own spot colour ink. With a map as complex as this, that means that there are a whopping twelve different colours to print! These being: river blue, park green, National Mall green, Blue Line, Orange Line, Yellow Line, Green Line, Red Line, Silver Line, District/County border grey, Beltway grey, and finally, black. I would have thought with the advances in digital printing and stochastic (micro) screening, that these could be produced digitally in one step instead of twelve, but maybe these are special long-lasting UV inks that will withstand many years of use without fading - an important consideration for station maps! In any case, these photos are a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a process that many people may not even think about. EDIT: A tweet from a Metro representative confirms that there are THIRTEEN colours used in the printing: 4 greys (Silver Line, Beltway grey, county border grey, and icon grey), 3 greens (parks, Mall, Green Line), 2 Blues (river, Blue Line), Black, Red, Yellow and Orange.
How the WMATA Rush+ Maps Are Printed Many thanks to Matt Johnson for telling me about this amazing photoset on Flickr that details the process involved in printing the new Rush+ station maps for Washington, DC’s Metro system. Click through to see the whole set! Even as an experienced graphic designer, I was amazed to see that the maps are screen printed - each colour on the map is printed one after the other, each using a separate screen with its own spot colour ink. With a map as complex as this, that means that there are a whopping twelve different colours to print! These being: river blue, park green, National Mall green, Blue Line, Orange Line, Yellow Line, Green Line, Red Line, Silver Line, District/County border grey, Beltway grey, and finally, black. I would have thought with the advances in digital printing and stochastic (micro) screening, that these could be produced digitally in one step instead of twelve, but maybe these are special long-lasting UV inks that will withstand many years of use without fading - an important consideration for station maps! In any case, these photos are a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a process that many people may not even think about. EDIT: A tweet from a Metro representative confirms that there are THIRTEEN colours used in the printing: 4 greys (Silver Line, Beltway grey, county border grey, and icon grey), 3 greens (parks, Mall, Green Line), 2 Blues (river, Blue Line), Black, Red, Yellow and Orange.
How the WMATA Rush+ Maps Are Printed Many thanks to Matt Johnson for telling me about this amazing photoset on Flickr that details the process involved in printing the new Rush+ station maps for Washington, DC’s Metro system. Click through to see the whole set! Even as an experienced graphic designer, I was amazed to see that the maps are screen printed - each colour on the map is printed one after the other, each using a separate screen with its own spot colour ink. With a map as complex as this, that means that there are a whopping twelve different colours to print! These being: river blue, park green, National Mall green, Blue Line, Orange Line, Yellow Line, Green Line, Red Line, Silver Line, District/County border grey, Beltway grey, and finally, black. I would have thought with the advances in digital printing and stochastic (micro) screening, that these could be produced digitally in one step instead of twelve, but maybe these are special long-lasting UV inks that will withstand many years of use without fading - an important consideration for station maps! In any case, these photos are a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a process that many people may not even think about. EDIT: A tweet from a Metro representative confirms that there are THIRTEEN colours used in the printing: 4 greys (Silver Line, Beltway grey, county border grey, and icon grey), 3 greens (parks, Mall, Green Line), 2 Blues (river, Blue Line), Black, Red, Yellow and Orange.
How the WMATA Rush+ Maps Are Printed Many thanks to Matt Johnson for telling me about this amazing photoset on Flickr that details the process involved in printing the new Rush+ station maps for Washington, DC’s Metro system. Click through to see the whole set! Even as an experienced graphic designer, I was amazed to see that the maps are screen printed - each colour on the map is printed one after the other, each using a separate screen with its own spot colour ink. With a map as complex as this, that means that there are a whopping twelve different colours to print! These being: river blue, park green, National Mall green, Blue Line, Orange Line, Yellow Line, Green Line, Red Line, Silver Line, District/County border grey, Beltway grey, and finally, black. I would have thought with the advances in digital printing and stochastic (micro) screening, that these could be produced digitally in one step instead of twelve, but maybe these are special long-lasting UV inks that will withstand many years of use without fading - an important consideration for station maps! In any case, these photos are a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a process that many people may not even think about. EDIT: A tweet from a Metro representative confirms that there are THIRTEEN colours used in the printing: 4 greys (Silver Line, Beltway grey, county border grey, and icon grey), 3 greens (parks, Mall, Green Line), 2 Blues (river, Blue Line), Black, Red, Yellow and Orange.
How the WMATA Rush+ Maps Are Printed Many thanks to Matt Johnson for telling me about this amazing photoset on Flickr that details the process involved in printing the new Rush+ station maps for Washington, DC’s Metro system. Click through to see the whole set! Even as an experienced graphic designer, I was amazed to see that the maps are screen printed - each colour on the map is printed one after the other, each using a separate screen with its own spot colour ink. With a map as complex as this, that means that there are a whopping twelve different colours to print! These being: river blue, park green, National Mall green, Blue Line, Orange Line, Yellow Line, Green Line, Red Line, Silver Line, District/County border grey, Beltway grey, and finally, black. I would have thought with the advances in digital printing and stochastic (micro) screening, that these could be produced digitally in one step instead of twelve, but maybe these are special long-lasting UV inks that will withstand many years of use without fading - an important consideration for station maps! In any case, these photos are a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a process that many people may not even think about. EDIT: A tweet from a Metro representative confirms that there are THIRTEEN colours used in the printing: 4 greys (Silver Line, Beltway grey, county border grey, and icon grey), 3 greens (parks, Mall, Green Line), 2 Blues (river, Blue Line), Black, Red, Yellow and Orange.

How the WMATA Rush+ Maps Are Printed

Many thanks to Matt Johnson for telling me about this amazing photoset on Flickr that details the process involved in printing the new Rush+ station maps for Washington, DC’s Metro system. Click through to see the whole set!

Even as an experienced graphic designer, I was amazed to see that the maps are screen printed - each colour on the map is printed one after the other, each using a separate screen with its own spot colour ink. With a map as complex as this, that means that there are a whopping twelve different colours to print! These being: river blue, park green, National Mall green, Blue Line, Orange Line, Yellow Line, Green Line, Red Line, Silver Line, District/County border grey, Beltway grey, and finally, black.

I would have thought with the advances in digital printing and stochastic (micro) screening, that these could be produced digitally in one step instead of twelve, but maybe these are special long-lasting UV inks that will withstand many years of use without fading - an important consideration for station maps! In any case, these photos are a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a process that many people may not even think about.

EDIT: A tweet from a Metro representative confirms that there are THIRTEEN colours used in the printing: 4 greys (Silver Line, Beltway grey, county border grey, and icon grey), 3 greens (parks, Mall, Green Line), 2 Blues (river, Blue Line), Black, Red, Yellow and Orange.

  1. 24th May 2012
  2. Notes: 265
    3. #transit map #subway map #cartography #printing #WMATA #Washington DC #Metro #subway #Lance Wyman #screen printing
Official Map: Nürnberg/Fürth, Germany Here’s an interesting map from Nürnberg (Nuremberg) in Germany that uses 30-degree angles instead of the usual 45.There doesn’t seem to be major thematic reason as to why things have been done this way: I suspect that it’s purely to make the routes fit into the allotted space. Have we been there? Yes, in 2003. What we like: Competently done, with a visually pleasing layout and good information hierarchy - the U-Bahn and tram get the important route colours, followed by the distinctive green S-Bahn routes, and subsidiary grey Regional trains. What we don’t like: The grey text that sits behind the map denoting the two cities is huge, overpowering and distracting. If the text has to be that large, it could be tinted back much lighter. I’m not entirely sure why its needed, as the two Hauptbahnhofs could both labelled with the relevant names. A few poorly drawn curves, especially where the S1 and R1 lines turn north. The triple arrowhead in the southeast where the S2, S3 and R5 lines leave the map would work much better if the central arrow was extended a little further so as not to touch the other arrows. The bus interchange icons are a little visually strong, while the Park and Ride icons recede too much into the background. The U21 and tram route 6 seem unnecessarily close in colour. Our rating: Good without being outstanding in any way. Three stars. (Source: Official VAG website)

Official Map: Nürnberg/Fürth, Germany

Here’s an interesting map from Nürnberg (Nuremberg) in Germany that uses 30-degree angles instead of the usual 45.There doesn’t seem to be major thematic reason as to why things have been done this way: I suspect that it’s purely to make the routes fit into the allotted space.

Have we been there? Yes, in 2003.

What we like: Competently done, with a visually pleasing layout and good information hierarchy - the U-Bahn and tram get the important route colours, followed by the distinctive green S-Bahn routes, and subsidiary grey Regional trains.

What we don’t like: The grey text that sits behind the map denoting the two cities is huge, overpowering and distracting. If the text has to be that large, it could be tinted back much lighter. I’m not entirely sure why its needed, as the two Hauptbahnhofs could both labelled with the relevant names.

A few poorly drawn curves, especially where the S1 and R1 lines turn north. The triple arrowhead in the southeast where the S2, S3 and R5 lines leave the map would work much better if the central arrow was extended a little further so as not to touch the other arrows. The bus interchange icons are a little visually strong, while the Park and Ride icons recede too much into the background. The U21 and tram route 6 seem unnecessarily close in colour.

Our rating: Good without being outstanding in any way. Three stars.

3 Stars

(Source: Official VAG website)

  1. 22nd May 2012
  2. Notes: 2
    3. #transit map #subway map #cartography #U-Bahn #S-Bahn #subway #commuter rail #tram #Nürnberg #Nuremberg #Fürth #Bavaria #Germany #Europe #official
1978 New York Subway Map (Source: pressthebigredbutton/Flickr)

1978 New York Subway Map

(Source: pressthebigredbutton/Flickr)

  1. 16th May 2012
  2. Notes: 25
    3. #transit map #subway map #subway #1978 #New York #United States of America #Massimo Vignelli #cartography
Unofficial Map: St. Petersburg Metro, Russia I came across this map while browsing Flickr last night, and was totally blown away by it. This map of St. Petersburg’s Metro system is simply gorgeous and is far, far better than the current official map. Definitely one of my favourite maps of the year so far. Have we been there? No. What we like: So many things! The lovely pattern used for the waterways, the stylish icons for points of interest, the inclusion of the city’s bridges as reference points, the clever use of colour to differentiate the Cyrillic station names from their Romanised equivalents, the beautifully abstracted geography, the circle shape of the city limits (and the wonderful negative space it creates around the map)… I could go on and on. What we don’t like: The placement of the interchange station markers where Lines 1 and 2, and also 2 and 3, cross could be a little better and more consistent with the other interchange stations. The placement of the station at the 2/3 interchange seems particularly odd, as the coloured dots don’t lie directly over the route line they represent. Our rating: Astounding work. Clear, graphically bold, gorgeous, useful. 5 stars! (Source: k3sotnikova/Flickr)

Unofficial Map: St. Petersburg Metro, Russia

I came across this map while browsing Flickr last night, and was totally blown away by it. This map of St. Petersburg’s Metro system is simply gorgeous and is far, far better than the current official map. Definitely one of my favourite maps of the year so far.

Have we been there? No.

What we like: So many things! The lovely pattern used for the waterways, the stylish icons for points of interest, the inclusion of the city’s bridges as reference points, the clever use of colour to differentiate the Cyrillic station names from their Romanised equivalents, the beautifully abstracted geography, the circle shape of the city limits (and the wonderful negative space it creates around the map)… I could go on and on.

What we don’t like: The placement of the interchange station markers where Lines 1 and 2, and also 2 and 3, cross could be a little better and more consistent with the other interchange stations. The placement of the station at the 2/3 interchange seems particularly odd, as the coloured dots don’t lie directly over the route line they represent.

Our rating: Astounding work. Clear, graphically bold, gorgeous, useful. 5 stars!

5 Stars!

(Source: k3sotnikova/Flickr)

  1. 15th May 2012
  2. Notes: 23
    3. #transit map #subway map #Metro #subway #St. Petersburg
Historical Map: Metro de Madrid, 1981 Having had a look at Madrid’s current map (2.5 Stars), I thought we’d delve into the past and see what came before it. The first thing to notice is how much smaller the system was in 1981: only 10 Metro lines instead of 12 - and many of those are much shorter than now, and no light rail lines. Have we been there? No. What we like: A paragon of clean, functional transit map design. There’s great flow in this map, especially compared to the staccato, rigid, 90-degree matrix of the current map. Even without a legend, everything on this map is perfectly clear. What we don’t like: Some minor station placement and labelling issues. Some route colours look similar (the 2 and 7, and the 9 and 10), but I think this is more to do with the age of the map that has been scanned than an issue with the design of the map itself. Our rating: What can I say? I’m a sucker for simple, clean, well-designed maps. Four stars. (Source: Mikeyashworth/Flickr)

Historical Map: Metro de Madrid, 1981

Having had a look at Madrid’s current map (2.5 Stars), I thought we’d delve into the past and see what came before it. The first thing to notice is how much smaller the system was in 1981: only 10 Metro lines instead of 12 - and many of those are much shorter than now, and no light rail lines.

Have we been there? No.

What we like: A paragon of clean, functional transit map design. There’s great flow in this map, especially compared to the staccato, rigid, 90-degree matrix of the current map. Even without a legend, everything on this map is perfectly clear.

What we don’t like: Some minor station placement and labelling issues. Some route colours look similar (the 2 and 7, and the 9 and 10), but I think this is more to do with the age of the map that has been scanned than an issue with the design of the map itself.

Our rating: What can I say? I’m a sucker for simple, clean, well-designed maps. Four stars.

4 Stars!

(Source: Mikeyashworth/Flickr)

  1. 9th May 2012
  2. Notes: 9
    3. #4 stars #Europe #Madrid #Metro #Spain #historical #metro map #subway #subway map #transit map #1981
Tyne & Wear Metro In-Car Map If anything, I actually like this elongated layout better than the actual official system map (reviewed here) - the removal of the geography and the addition of zone information makes the design both cleaner and more useful. Great use of an awkward space. (Source: LiamC1995/Flickr)

Tyne & Wear Metro In-Car Map

If anything, I actually like this elongated layout better than the actual official system map (reviewed here) - the removal of the geography and the addition of zone information makes the design both cleaner and more useful. Great use of an awkward space.

(Source: LiamC1995/Flickr)

  1. 26th April 2012
  2. Notes: 5
    3. #transit map #metro map #official #subway map #subway #light rail #Sunderland #Newcastle #Newcastle Upon Tyne #Tyne and Wear #photo
Interactive Paris Metro Bus Map, Franklin D. Roosevelt Station Now this looks like fun! (Source: @shopfranceinc/Twitter)

Interactive Paris Metro Bus Map, Franklin D. Roosevelt Station

Now this looks like fun!

(Source: @shopfranceinc/Twitter)

  1. Camera: BlackBerry 9650
  1. 23rd April 2012
  2. Notes: 7
    3. #transit map #metro map #subway map #Metro #subway #Paris #France #official #photo #interactive
June 18 It’s coming! WMATA’s Rush Plus map and service changes are almost here, and ads are appearing on Metro trains around D.C. (Source: tracktwentynine/Flickr)

June 18

It’s coming! WMATA’s Rush Plus map and service changes are almost here, and ads are appearing on Metro trains around D.C.

(Source: tracktwentynine/Flickr)

  1. 18th April 2012
  2. Notes: 10
    3. #transit map #subway map #subway #photo #ad #Rush Plus #Washington DC #USA #United States of America #WMATA #Metro