Visuals help us to think more quickly. Most visuals aim for simplicity, yet there are occasions when we need to use a lot of complexity and display enormous data. Complicated data can be represented by simple yet elegant shapes, thus illustrating the development of graphs and statistics. This decoding of information has historically been communicated using infographics, just as Tommy McCall claims in his TedTalk here (McCall). Effective infographics are able to visualize the information given, and the infographic I’d like to highlight is a particular kind of map called a tube map.
Harry Beck devised the tube map that is familiar today with the simple intention of trying to “tidy up” the previous map. It was a new design for an old map that helped better to organize and understand information. The London Tube Map, designed by Harry Beck in 1933, is an infographic that I believe does an excellent job of visually presenting a phenomenal amount of information into a single image. The new map had even spaces between stations, smooth lines, and diagonals within (Graham-Smith). Despite the fact that this map has undergone numerous alterations since it was initially published in 1933, it nevertheless has many of the same colors, lines, station names, and interchanges. It’s a great illustration of how a city was shaped using only two angles and an equal distance between each station for all of the lines (Merielles). Today’s maps use the same structure as the original’s and still have that same visual vibrancy.
An infographic’s text should support its graphics rather than vice versa. The earlier maps weren’t as clear or practical. The older maps, in my opinion, were less useful because they didn’t need to show the precise geographic position of stations. Rather, simple lines were much needed instead. Passengers just needed to know the best way to travel between stations and where to change lines (Graham-Smith). People found this new map easier to read and understand, which is why it became popular so quickly.
It can be difficult to visualize multidimensional information systems in two dimensions. It’s impressive the way Beck understood how to visualize the information, using both analytical and visual reasoning techniques (Merielles, pg. 9). This infographic is successful because he was able to organize the city in a way that is informative, useful, and appealing to the eye. His system of maps is widely implemented today, and Beck’s map has become a standard for all modern-day tube maps.
Works Cited
Graham-Smith, Darien. “The History of the Tube Map.” Londonist, 17 May 2016, https://londonist.com/2016/05/the-history-of-the-tube-map.
Meirelles, Isabel. Design for Information : An Introduction to the Histories, Theories, and Best Practices Behind Effective Information Visualizations, Quarto Publishing Group USA, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/empire-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3399922.
McCall, Tommy. “The Simple Genius of a Good Graphic.” Tommy McCall: The Simple Genius of a Good Graphic | TED Talk, https://www.ted.com/talks/tommy_mccall_the_simple_genius_of_a_good_graphic/transcript?language=en.
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