In 1932 an electrical engineer named Henry Charles Beck, more commonly known as Harry Beck, took it upon himself to redesign the London Underground map and became one of the pioneers who contributed to the success of the Underground. This critical article explores the success of the London Underground, looking in particular at Harry Beck and his Map project and how it contributed to the legacy of the London Underground. The article will look at pre-1933 London transport maps and compare them to the maps we use today. This will highlight the differences and show how they have changed over time. We will also look at some of the key people involved in the development of the underground and show how their ideas have shaped its future. It will take a close look at Harry Beck's influential subway map design (1933) and show how it changed our view of maps. The London Underground's brand identity, its maps, branding and signage will also be explored in an attempt to reveal how it was formed and maintained whilst focusing on the key people who contributed to the 'look' of the London Underground. London Underground. . It will investigate the impact the London Underground has had on the rest of the world, not just in transport but also in design. Subway's legacy will also be explored, examining its merchandising, branding and other ways it influenced not only its future but also the future of design. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The London Underground is famous all over the world, featuring the line that was originally the first underground railway. However, although being the first is enough to make him world famous, it is not enough to succeed. First, this critical article aims to unravel the history of the underground to discover the key people and their contributions. This will be done by highlighting the most important changes and decisions that have been made and their success. key figures involved in the underground by examining and evaluating their contributions through deconstruction and research. Frank Pick, Johnston, Harry Beck. The article will examine the legacy of the London Underground and the early maps used by it with the aim of tracing their journey from geographical accuracy to recognizable design that is not necessarily geographically accurate. This will once again make clear the changes that have occurred over time and how these have influenced the success of the underground. This critical article aims to focus on the London Underground map (1933) and the designer Harry Beck. The objectives are to highlight the image of the London Underground and identify how it has changed the design of the map. Harry Beck's design will be evaluated through analytical deconstruction, paying close attention to the context of the design and public reception. Which will reveal the harsh criticism and cold shoulder Beck encountered while trying to revolutionize map design? A key source that will be examined is "How To Lie With Maps" (Monmonier, 1996) which highlights the need for clarity and simplicity in map design, something Beck understood. The critical article aims to show how revolutionary Harry Beck's design was by revealing its impact around the world. The goal is to showcase the history of Beck's design being used around the world. It shows its influence on transportation maps today, highlighting the importance of design aspects. If Beck's design principles have been improved. The critical article aims to show how successful it is todaythe underground. The goals were to show how the underground as a brand influenced popular culture. It will review inspired artwork, adaptations and merchandise. It highlights how recognizable it is as a brand. Charles Tyson Yerkes was an American financier, who created the Underground Electric Railways Company of London in 1900 as a way to control the District Railway. Yerkes wanted to be involved in the development of London's metropolitan rail system and strove to unify it. Although he died in 1905 before all his works had been completed, his ideas were realized by his successors when brought together on a single map. The first combined map for the London Underground railways began to be published for passengers in 1906; before each line had its own separate map. The following year, URL, Central London, Metropolitan, Great Northern & City and City & South London Railways agreed to create the first all-inclusive map, which would combine their companies' lines. Some of these companies were in poor financial shape and so in 1907 they banded together to create a complete system of underground railways under the name "Underground". As Jackson & Croome (1964, p. 132 cited in Merrill, 2013, p. 247) point out, a new map was designed in 1908 to “educate the public about increasing network integration. The map showed almost the entire network." This map clearly laid the groundwork for future projects, introducing color for the first time, but it also suffered from trying to replicate the route (making it harder to read than a geometric line) and also distorted the subway line to make room for color . key (Garland, 1994, p. 8). Another company, Waterloo & City, decided not to join the Underground, although its line was featured on several maps between 1908 and 1913. The all-inclusive maps made it easier for travelers to navigate rail routes. However, these early maps were designed to be geographically accurate and although it was easier to have multiple routes on one map, there were clarity issues, which would get worse as new routes were added. Frank Pick was a transportation administrator who spent years working with trains. In 1912 he became commercial director of the London Metropolitan Electric Railway Company (UERL) and is celebrated as the principal figure responsible for its strong corporate identity. Choice was very interested in design and aimed to introduce a consistent look in advertising and lettering as he was dissatisfied with the diverse and endless variety of typefaces used in the system. In 1915 he had the logo redesigned as the heart of a successful corporate identity. In 1915, Pick had employed Johnston to design a newly simplified typeface. Sans Serif exemplified the virtues of modern design. These were clean, efficient qualities that Pick wanted to see imposed on the system as a whole. The pick was very concerned with presenting the metro system as rational, scientific and efficient in its management. One of the ways he tried to do this was through the architecture of subway stations. He chose Charles Holden to design the new extension stations, particularly on the Piccadilly and Central lines. Holden's approach was to use a type of architecture that would be understood as rational and modern, a kind of European modernism. He realized or was instructed that the stations should be recognizable as belonging to the same species. If you saw a subway station, it should be recognizable as part of the underground system. a new clear typeface to apply to all buildings,the rolling stock and publications of the Underground Group. Johnston's typeface, (known as Johnston sans) was first used in 1916 and was so successful that it was used until 1979 when it was slightly reworked and renamed "New Johnston" to keep it current and relevant for the era modern. The Johnston typeface, designed exclusively for Underground, is a sans-serif typeface that retains its taken-for-granted elegant simplicity in use today, as exceptional design often is. The success of typefaces is due to their clarity and adaptability (Sinclair 2016). Johnston is also responsible for the rebranding of the London Underground in 1925, when he designed the iconic round logo still used today. There is very little record of what Londoners thought of the symbol at first. Journalists noted that the new signals were part of a massive subway modernization program and appreciated the consistency and coherence that the roundel provided in its role as a station signal. (Byrnes) In 1925 Stingemore designed a new map that removed all surface detail in hopes of improving clarity. However, this proved confusing for commuters and in 1932 the Thames was added back to the design as it created a landmark which helped people visualize where they were a little easier. This is the drawing that Beck developed into a schematic map, much the same as the one we use today. Harry Beck was an engineer and subway employee, who mapped out the way we move. Under the commission, Frank Pick, Beck in 1933, devised a schematic map of the London Underground system that ignored geographic distances and instead featured an elegant geometric structure, consisting of interlocking straight lines and diamonds representing interchanges. Beck (cited in Garland, 1994, p.17) comments on how he wanted to simplify the map by using straight lines (including diagonals) and evenly spacing the stops. This was a deliberate design choice for clarity of vision and presentation of information. For more than 50 years the London Underground map has been geographical, which has led to passengers having difficulty finding their way around. This led to the subway losing money as the underground system was too complicated to follow. In 1933 Harry Beck created the first abstract subway map. According to Hadlaw (2003), Beck set aside geographical space in favor of graphic space. This was a real breakthrough and abstract maps have since become well recognized for their ability to highlight what is important while removing confusing or irrelevant information. Beck's original subway sketch effectively eliminated all surface detail, leaving only the recognizable geographical feature of the Thames (Garland, 1994, p. 16). You could say that Harry Beck changed the way we see the world with his revolutionary designs. Dennis (2008, p.337 cited in Merrill, 2013, p. 248) suggests that Beck's design was influenced by the modernist art movement and helped create a “modernist urban space”. Beck (quoted in Garland, 1994, p.17) explains how his project was initially rejected in 1931 because it was deemed “too revolutionary”. Another project was therefore needed. Garland (1994, pp. 18-19) describes how the second project (in 1932) was this time open to public scrutiny and their reaction to the map was positive, noting that Beck was a commuter like them, seeking to improve your own life. simpler, without commissions. He saw that there was a need for change and decided to take the initiative. In July 1933, immediately after the launch of theBeck's tube map, the government decided to change the URL to London Transport. It was to be a public body that had complete control over London's public transport. London Transport has publicly made the London Passenger Transport Board (LTPB) responsible for decisions made on its behalf (Hornsey, 2012). Garland (1994, p. 22) notes “that the diagram had to deal almost continuously with the growth and development of the system itself”. Versions of Harry Beck's map were in use until 1960, when Harold Hutchison (publicity manager at LT) thought about designing a new map. It was not popular because clarity was sacrificed by making it look ugly with sharp corners that further confused passengers. Assistant Secretary and Works Officer for London Transport. Paul. E. Garbutt noticed that there was a problem with the map and in 1963 he decided to redraw it. «The problems were largely geometric in nature. You find that you can get one angle of the thing right, but you can't get the next angle right. And you have to make some kind of compromise between the sides of the map. And even something like the introduction of the Jubilee Line means a considerable reformulation of the entire map which I tried to fit into as many straight lines as possible. For example, the Northern Line and the Central Line, which pass through the central area, are straight. I tried in every way to make it easily understandable to the passenger.' His aim was to correct the design and incorporate the positive elements of Beck and Hutchinson's maps. Its design included black rings for interchanges and lowercase text for non-interchange stations, returning to Beck's original style. Garbutt is also responsible for the familiar "bottle" shape of the Circle line. Soon after, Beck worked on a new map design based on Garbutt's. He wanted to improve the design to further incorporate and promote the Victoria line. However, Degani (2013) explains in his article that "London transport managers were unwilling to receive any input from Beck, as there was too much corporate pride resting on the diagram". This seemed ridiculous since Beck had brought the underground so much success and his designs were still the basis of their maps. In 1964, Beck made another attempt to work on his earlier design, but instead based it on a newer version developed by London Transport. This is considered his best and most sophisticated project ever, but once again it was rejected and never revealed publicly. (Garland, 1994, p.60). In 1965, with limited finances and a wife suffering from depression due to prolonged legal disputes with London Transport, Beck gave up the fight. Paradoxically, more than all the improvements undertaken by Pick and his successors, Beck's diagram became the most convincing image not only of the London Underground but of London itself (Hadlaw, 2003, p31). Alan Foale is the current designer of the map based on Beck's design. Beck's map, with its electrical diagram, is not about geography, but about geometry. It appears to be infinitely flexible. New lines appear, stations come and go, but the map remains the same. Beck knew that subway riders didn't need geography, but clarity, what he called "heightened common sense." You had to be able to quickly check your junctions, often in dim light, and make immediate decisions. The current Tube designers receive no public recognition, with the map only listing "Mayor of London" rather than the designer. In 1997, Beck's importance was recognized posthumously, and since 2013, every subway map has the phrase: "This diagram is.