Mark Ovenden

Mike Ashworth

Transit Maps of the World

More than one thousand maps, diagrams, and photographs offer a graphic history of the Paris subway system.

The Maps, Stations, and Design of the Métro

Paris Underground

"Expanded and updated edition of the world's first collection of every urban train map on earth."--Cover.

A beautifully illustrated and comprehensive history of one of the world's most celebrated design achievements, and of the visionaries who brought it to life. Since its establishment 150 years ago as the world's first urban subway, the London Underground has continuously set a benchmark for design that has influenced transit systems from New York to Tokyo, Moscow to Paris and beyond. London Underground by Design is the first meticulous study of every aspect of that feat. Beginning in the pioneering Victorian age, Mark Ovenden charts the evolution of architecture, branding, typeface, map design, interior and textile styles, posters, signage and graphic design and how these came together to shape not just the Underground's identity, but the character of London itself. This is the story of celebrated designers - from Frank Pick, the guru who conceptualised the modern Tube's look under the 'design fit for purpose' mantra, to Harry Beck, Tube diagram creator, and from Marion Dorn, one of the twentieth century's leading textile designers, to Edward Johnston, creator of the distinctive font that bears his name, as well as Leslie Green, designer of central London's distinctive ruby-red tiled stations, and the Design Research Unit's head, Misha Black, who in the 1960s rebranded British Railways and created the Victoria line's distinctive style, and Sir Norman Foster, architect of Canary Wharf station. Rich with hundreds of illustrations, some never before seen, London Underground by Design shows that design is not just about aesthetic pleasure, but is crucial to how we get around.

London Underground by Design

With the support of the visionary Frank Pick at the London Underground, Edward Johnston (1872-1944) and Eric Gill (1882-1940) unwittingly developed two of the world's most enduring typefaces Johnston still stands as London's primary 'wayfinding' lettering, while Gill Sans is the type of choice within many public and private organizations across the UK today. Exploring for the first time the evolution and adoption of both the Johnston and Gill typefaces, this unique publication shows how each has had a profound impact on Britain's visual language. Tracing the story of each typeface from inception to the present day, Mark Ovenden skilfully draws together a complex history that incorporates numerous strands including Johnston and Gill's friendship and collaboration, the myriad of revisions to both designs and their enduring appeal among a range of clients over the last one hundred years. Including rarely seen imagery, this fascinating publication will be invaluable to specialists and enthusiasts alike."

Very British Types

Johnston and Gill

With over 60 per cent of the world’s population living in cities, the networks beneath our feet – which keep the cities above moving – are more important than ever before. Yet we never truly see how these amazing feats of engineering work. Just how deep do the tunnels go? Where do the sewers, bunkers and postal trains run? And, how many tunnels are there under our streets? Each featured city presents a ‘skyline of the underground’ through specially commissioned cut-away illustrations and unique cartography. Drawing on geography, cartography and historical oddities, Mark Ovenden explores what our cities look like from the bottom up.

Mapping the tunnels, transits and networks underneath our feet

Underground Cities

Paris Metro Style

London Transport Museum

Metro Maps of the World

Peter B. Lloyd

A vivid reconstruction of designer Massimo Vignelli's attempt to present the complexities of the New York subway in a clear and modern form.

Vignelli Transit Maps

Maxwell Roberts

In this gorgeously illustrated collection of airline route maps, Mark Ovenden and Maxwell Roberts look to the skies and transport readers to another time. Hundreds of images span a century of passenger flight, from the rudimentary trajectory of routes to the most intricately detailed birds-eye views of the land to be flown over. Advertisements for the first scheduled commercial passenger flights featured only a few destinations, with stunning views of the countryside and graphics of biplanes. As aviation took off, speed and mileage were trumpeted on bold posters featuring busy routes. Major airlines produced highly stylized illustrations of their global presence, establishing now-classic brands. With trendy and forward-looking designs, cartographers celebrated the coming together of different cultures and made the earth look ever smaller. Eventually, fleets got bigger and routes multiplied, and graphic designers have found creative new ways to display huge amounts of information. Airline hubs bring their own cultural mark and advertise their plentiful destination options. Innovative maps depict our busy world with webs of overlapping routes and networks of low-cost city-to-city hopping. But though flying has become more commonplace, Ovenden and Roberts remind us that early air travel was a glamorous affair for good reason. Airline Maps is a celebration of graphic design, cartographic skills and clever marketing, and a visual feast that reminds us to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

A Century of Art and Design

Airline Maps

Since its establishment 150 years ago as the world's first urban subway, the London Underground has continuously set a benchmark for design that many transit systems around the world - from New York to Tokyo to Moscow and beyond - have followed. London Underground by Design is the first meticulous study of every aspect of that feat. Beginning in the pioneering Victorian age, Mark Ovenden charts the evolution of architecture, branding, typeface, map design, interior and textile styles, posters, signage and graphic design and how all these came together to shape not just the identity of the Underground, but the character of London itself. This is the story of some of the most celebrated figures in design history - from Frank Pick, the guru who conceptualised the design of the modern Tube with his idea of 'design fit for purpose', to Harry Beck, the creator of the Tube map, and from Marion Dorn, one of the leading textile designers of the 20th Century, to Edward Johnston, creator of the distinctive font that bears his name. Rich with stunning illustrations, London Underground by Design shows that design is about more than aesthetic pleasure, but is crucial to how we get around.

Mark Ovenden

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