The London Subway map is one of the most iconic pieces of graphic design in the modern world. It did wonders in simplifying people's perceptions and understanding of what is quite  complicated rail system. The one ...]]>

The New London Wayfinding System

The London Subway map is one of the most iconic pieces of graphic design in the modern world. It did wonders in simplifying people's perceptions and understanding of what is quite  complicated rail system. The one shortfall, of course, is that the map bears little resemblance to the actual layout of the stations in London.

London is a notoriously difficult city to navigate. Instead of being organised on a grid like many other cities, it "is just a bunch of villages that grew and grew until they merged into a giant, wriggling blob. Many of the city's roads date back to medieval times and are so twisty and short that locals don't use the term "block"—it's far too regular-sounding to apply to the odd-angled polygons formed by the city's streets". (source)

This is why they are getting a new wayfinding system, Legible London. Slate magazine has an article covering some of the ins and outs. There are, however, a couple of features that are worth mentioning specifically.

The first is the Azometically rendered maps they are using for the project. These maps show  a traditional aerial view of the area as you would expect to find on any normal wayfinding system. What is different is that, in addition to this, they show renderings of the facades of distinctive and known buildings, within the footprint of the building itself. People found it easier to remember places by vision of what they looked like, as well as location. This innovation allowed them to have the best of both worlds.

Another interesting decision was to turn away from the accepted standard of having the top of the map facing North. While this was standardised, and accurate, people found it easier to use the maps when the top of the map was oriented the same way that they were facing.

The final innovation I will mention here is the removal of the good-old "you are here marker". Instead the designers marked a circle to show the distance that could be travelled in a 15 minute walk. Not only did this help the user to distinguish where they were located, but gave them additional information about where the could go.

Wayfinding design is a discipline in which there are many tried and true standards adhered to. The Legible London team have shown, however, that sometimes ignoring the standards can result in a better solution.

Just because there is a standard doesn't mean it is the only way it can be done. Sometimes there are really good reasons for heading away from what is the norm. Like anything, there are Pros and Cons. It is up to you to figure out which will best benefit those you are working for.

The signage system aims to solve two goals related to cyclists.

...]]> Better Bikeways is a proposal for a comprehensive overhaul of bike signage in LA.  It is a project initiated by Joseph Pritchard - a Los Angeles based freelance designer.

The signage system aims to solve two goals related to cyclists.

The first is to "make motorists mindful of the presence & rights of cyclists". It is important to ensure that motorists are aware of the fact they are on a bikeway, and put them in the frame of mind to be looking for cyclists and remembering they have a right to use the road as well. The second aim is to "provide useful route information to the cyclists themselves" This is often overlooked, and it is important (and helpful) to communicate to cyclists the route they are on, and any areas of interest on the route.

The system is spit into four categories of information. Navigation signs communicate the current route, where it is travelling to, route length and distances to certain places of note such as intersections or locations. These signs are used throughout the route.

The Caution signs provide warnings and information to both motorists and cyclists - warning them of each other's presence and reminding them to beware.

Connections signage is found at the beginning and end of routes, and also at intersections with other major cycle routes. They are designed to communicate the start and finish of routes, and provide assistance with turning on to routes that cross over. Signage at the end of a route may also include information on the nearest route to continue on to.

The final type of signage is for points of interest. Their purpose is to alert cyclists to local points of interest that are particularly relevant to them. "These can include, but are not limited to, bike shops, libraries, post offices, restaurants, museums or tourist information offices".

Pritchard has worked with Los Angeles' cycling community and put the system through rigorous testing. The result is a vivid visual language which is both simple and easy to read, but also extensible to whatever further uses might come about.

It would be great to see this adopted by Los Angeles, and also to see similar systems put in place around the world