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London Underground map: who

Contents: who | what | where | when | how | why

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Henry C. (Harry) Beck was born in 1904 and died in 1974 (Last, 1987). He was not a trained designer - he was in fact a graphic draftsman within London Underground - who, at the age of 27, showed a personal interest in simplifying the London Electric Railways and Underground map (Garland, 1994). Beck sketched a series of maps in his own time in an exercise book - an apparent effort to help London Underground travellers navigate through a growing transport system.

Beck was passionate about his map (Garland, 1994), and despite initial rejection, was convinced by friends to continue. When an initial test proved popular with the travelling public (Last, 1987), the London Underground changed its map format - it has remained essentially unchanged since.

Beck continued to rework and revise his map as the network grew - despite being paid only 5 guineas ($12) for it - and became obsessed with creating a perfect piece of design. When London Underground took back control of the map's design in the 1950s, Beck was reportedly devastated (Last, 1987). Beck's name no longer appears on the bottom of each map produced, despite his importance in its creation.

 

Essays

Satisfying site design: web site navigation and its relationship to creating a satisfying user experience (May 2000).

London Underground Map: a look at Harry Beck's famous map as an information design icon (March 2000).

 

 

 

   
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