Cameron Booth is a seasoned graphical designer . In his spare meter he also editstransitmaps.tumblr.com , the web ’s okay department store for bus single-valued function , subway diagrams , railroad train meshing maps and more . We ’re tremendous fans of his land site and want to pin him down on a case that ’s close to our own gist : what makes a good transit map ?
Cameron Booth : One of my all clip preferred transportation maps isthis onethat was used in Stuttgart , Germany c. 2000 . remarkably , it choose to represent the city ’s web on anisometric grid(using 30 - level lean almost exclusively ) , rather than the more usualorthogonalmethod , which use any multiple of 45 degrees .
An example of an orthogonal mapping
The issue is striking , accentuated by the three - dimensional treatment given to the Hauptbahnhof and its distinctive tower in the middle of the single-valued function . For me , this diagram check off all the boxes :
It ’s clear and easy to see . route are easily trackable from one end to the other , interchanges and terminus are clearly announce , icons for period of pursuit are mere and unmistakeable , and the legend is childlike and concise .
All of the label on the diagram are gear up horizontally , which aids speedy reading and inclusion , as well as looking neater than angled labels . The unusual isometric viewpoint help a lot here , as it leave place name to nest next to the itinerary blood nicely , without ever being in peril of clashing with it .
It has a spirit that is unambiguously its own , rather than being yet another Tube Map clone . I perfectly love transit maps that have a horse sense of place about them : a mathematical function that could only ever belong to to one city , and this is one of them .
To top it all off , it ’s also absolutely beautiful to look out . While conveying information is a transit map ’s most significant procedure , aesthetics bet a huge part as well . I h4ly consider that transit map roleplay a hugely important part in the populace ’s initial percept of a transit organisation : if the function is easy to apply and beautiful to look at , then it will advance citizenry to employ the system . Conversely , if the map is ill design and difficult to comprehend , then that ’s going to have a negative gist on users .
CB : A strong informational hierarchy is an absolute requisite . By that , I intend that the most of import elements of the mathematical function should be at once and intuitively obvious .
transferral / interchange stations want to be intelligibly shown — working out where to transpose with other services is always one of the self-aggrandising challenge faced by transportation system substance abuser .
path termini should be understandably marked , especially if trains or buses refer to those end point on their signboard ( e.g. , Piccadilly Line to Cockfosters ) . Here , the Paris Metro map does a better job than the London Tube mathematical function , for model , as it make the station name bolder and shows the route routine that end there .
If there ’s more than mode of transferral shown , then the pre - eminent one involve to stand out the most to make it easiest to find . A good example of this is would be a subway function that also shows connect commuter train rail , busbar and ferry connections : the underground need to be demonstrate as the most important part of the map , and each other service should be indicated in descending ordering of importance with increasingly thinner route lines / humble labels , and so on .
CB : Well , almost everyone has access to a map in one form or another right in their pocket these days . Be it a smartphone or pad of paper , information is right at our fingertips wherever we go . It ’s not always accurate though , and I think sometimes masses put a little too much trust in their twist , rather than trying to work things out for themselves . A small filmdom is n’t always the good path to see how transit in a city slice together : a becoming paper map is a flock easier ( for me , at least ) to centre over and really understand how affair work .
creation like the newtouch covert tube map kiosksin New York City are a hint of things to do : the time to come holds map that update dynamically based on the sentence of twenty-four hours , that keep you updated about track maintenance that might move your tripper , or provide detailed information about transfers . Digital mapping and live datum feeds promise a much more active , fluid look at transportation system than a motionless paper map can ever allow for — but I do n’t think we ’re quite there yet .
NYC ’s Touchscreen Subway Maps Are Finally Here , and They ’re awe-inspiring
CB : Only one ? I mentioned tip labels above ( specially randomly slant labels ! ) , but my other pet peeve are diagrammatical maps that insist on placing their simplify , rectilinear route blood line over a “ geographical ” backcloth , with coastline and rivers shown in absolute , curvy , natural contingent . lesson of this areSydney ’s old map , andBoston ’s “ T ” mapping . Not only is the “ geography ” almost always horribly color to wrap around the conventional route lines , but the clang of styles between straight and “ natural ” is almost always a bad matter . It ’s unquestionably better to simplify the backdrop in a style that ’s complementary to the itinerary lines for a more incorporate look . Please !
CB : Geographically accurate transit mapping in spades have their place . They ’re more often than not more suitable to depict bus arrangement than conventional diagram are , just because they can give the transportation drug user a better spatial awareness of how the double-decker connect with their vicinity — how far they might have to walk after getting off the bus , which exact roads the jitney travel along , even a fierce estimation of how long the trip might take .
The New York subway map , though , is probably guilty of trying to do too much at once : it ’s a subway single-valued function , tourist map and neighbourhood guide all in one … and ends up not doing such a groovy job of any of them . I find it very busy and cluttered , although recent editions have cleaned it up and simplified thing moderately . For me , New York ’s complex system is best represented by a intercrossed map / diagram like Eddie Jabbour’sKickMap : it simplify the arrangement like a diagram , but retain enough geographic entropy for substance abuser to orient themselves to the urban center around them .
look-alike credit : Cormac Phelan , Stuttgart City Information Site , CityRail , Riga Transit , Andrew Whited
This interviewby Ian Delaney earlier appeared inHERE Three Sixty , the official web log of HERE , Nokia ’s fix business . It has been republished here with license .
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