London Tube Map Ephemera

Did you know that over 80 cities across the globe have adapted the London Tube Map to meet thier own railway system needs?  Neither did I, but thanks to the BBC I am now up to date.

The original London Tube Map was the brainchild of a Mr. Harry Beck who was not a graphic artist but rather an engineering draftsman who worked for the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB).  Beck’s original mapping dates back to 1932 and is still used today.

The design has become so widely known that it is now instantly recognisable as representing London. It has been featured on T-shirts, postcards, and other memorabilia. In 2006 the design came second in a televised search for the most well known British Design Icon. It is widely cited by academics and designers as a ‘design classic’ and it is due to these cultural associations that London Underground does not usually permit the design to be used or altered for any other purpose.  It has only been officially sanctioned on a few occasions.

While I don’t personally have any Ephemera showing the Tube Map, I am sure many of our fellow Ephemera aficionados do. Perhaps some of you would like to share some pictures of your tube map collection.  And that goes for our readers in places other than London. After all there are some 80 cities who have adapted the design.. including my favorite city in the world – Hong Kong.

Let us hear from you.  Oh, and by the way, have a look at this great BBC documentary.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom
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