Mapmaker Max Roberts has created a new way to map out subway lines.
Conventional maps usually emphasize “straight lines, clean angles and geographical accuracy”.
Unlike those maps, Roberts’ circular design is a blend of “aesthetics and usability”.
Roberts discovered this “completely new way of designing maps” when he was designing a map for the London Underground that took into account the circular nature of the Orbital rail link.
He realized the potential of the new design in forcing “cities into an unprecedented level of organization” and the coherence achieved.
Sacrificing geographical accuracy, his schematic design shows how elements in the map relate to each other logically, while taming the web of criss-crossed lines usually found in subway maps.
However, Roberts argued that “geographical maps and schematic maps have distinct roles to play, each serves a purpose, and so any transport undertaking that refuses to make both available is short-changing its customers”.
“A good geographical map shows where the network is, a good schematic shows how the elements of a network relate together logically. An uncomfortable hybrid serves neither role as effectively.”
Scroll down to view maps of the New York City Subway, the London Underground and the Paris Metro, or head over to his website to see more circular maps of other cities.
Click to view full image of the New York City Subway Lines
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Click to view full image of the Paris Metro
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Click to view full image of the London Underground
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[via Fast Co. Design and Max Roberts]