Design, Science and Technology

Mapmaker Max Roberts has created a new way to map out subway lines.  Conventional maps usually emphasize “straight lines, clean angles and geographical accuracy”. Unlike those maps, Roberts’ circular design is a blend of “aesthetics and usability”. 

Roberts discovered this “completely new way of designing maps” when he was designing a map for the London Underground that took into account the circular nature of the Orbital rail link. He realized the potential of the new design in forcing “cities into an unprecedented level of organization” and the coherence achieved. Sacrificing geographical accuracy, his schematic design shows how elements in the map relate to each other logically, while taming the web of criss-crossed lines usually found in subway maps.

View maps of the New York City Subway, the London Underground and the Paris Metro at the article link, or head over to hiswebsite to see more circular maps of other cities. 

Via Lauren Moss