Tube map design.

Earlier in the week my Father gave me these old school tube maps, he works for the print company Colour Five and recently got a job in from The London Transport musuem, who wanted to re-print some of these old bad boys. They're fascinating. The way the London Underground has evolved in terms of its network and design is pretty impressive with each map becoming more and more concise. I like to think that this reflects attitudes towards design, communicating ideas and messages efficiently as well as being coupled along with modernism at the time. Intriguing that the first two are very accurate in terms of London geography and they look like they've been hand drawn. Obviously the most modern tube map isn't to scale or accurate but designed merely to be clear and easy to understand, essential information design.

The covers are quite interesting too, some having maps of areas, lists of theatres and places of interests. In contrast to more recent times it's very different as I remember my favourite illustrator David Shrigley designing the cover a couple of years ago.

Some other interesting points are that the tube lines weren't always the same colour as we know them today, Central line used to be blue then changed to orange before the red it is today and Bakerloo line was a fabulous pink. The main thing I quite liked was the now abandoned and closed down stations that are shown, including: Uxbridge Road Station (which was between Shepherds Bush and Holland Park), Post Office Station, Addison Road Station and Praed Street Station to name a few.

If you like information design like me, this is the jazz right here:

Clickity click for a closer look.

 Issued 1908

Issued 1926

Issued 1933

 Issued 1938

Issued 1949

Summer iv

Some more..

 IT'S SAND

 When I was younger I used to think if you jumped from a great height onto sand that it'll swallow you like water would.

 "MATTHEW HUNGRY"

 "WHERE DA FOOD DAD?" "IT HERE MATTHEW"

 "DAD EAT NOW"

 "DAD APPROVE"

 Who needs a pet dog when you have Matthew Kyle about.

 "I take photos too Jamie, hyuck!"

 'The gang'

 Dad and Mum making a quick escape.

 Parp.

 Five different types of semiotics, what is this world coming to?!

 This isn't edited at all, beautiful colours along Carbis Bay.

That's all my Cornwall snaps. Hopefully will get more of the 'Summer' and get more in the motion of bringing my camera out with me.

Summer iii

Went to Cornwall for the week.

Maz and Faz on train.

 Pap picking us up, he owns better t-shirts than me.

 "Soon we'll be in St Ives, Jamie"

 "I'm going to touch all the things in St Ives, Jamie"

Did the annual trip to Tate St Ives, really good exhibitions this year. The main theme was 'Spatial Design' and how we observe space itself. This artist, Martin Creed, filled up the room with white balloons allowing us to experience space in a different way, with the balloons acting as a visual representation for the volume/space of the room. Really enjoyed this, it had an immensely playful nature to it encouraging a very childlike engagement to it.

 "HELLO JAMIE"

Tilt your head for this one.

(EDIT: Found this Photo 5/8/11)

This was another interaction piece by the artist Roman Ondak. You were invited by one of the workers there to have your height measured, with your name and the date tagged with it. It's called 'Measuring the Universe' with the idea being that each visitor leaves a physical trace of their visit. I was only allowed to take a photo of my exact spot of my name but I can't see it there clearly anymore, which kinda is the point really, all these marks building up to form a dense black band running across the gallery walls, reminds of a black hole almost.






More to follow.