Wonderground Map

A detail of the "Wonderground Map"

The Wonderground Map was a 1914 London Underground map designed by MacDonald Gill and commissioned for the underground by Frank Pick, Commercial Manager of the then-Underground Electric Railways Company of London. It is known today as the map which 'saved' the network (described in 2016 as at that time being a 'service on its knees'),[1] by encouraging off-peak travel; this was at a time when the underground was almost solely used by commuters in the mornings and evenings. Pick deliberately decided to commission a map which gave the company, as the BBC put it, a 'stronger brand' as part of a simultaneous exercise in improving hygiene, punctuality,[2] and image (if only, it has been suggested, by distracting the commuters from their travelling conditions).[1] As part of the latter, he also commissioned the 'iconic' Johnston typeface for signs and lettering at the same time.[2] Indeed, MacDonald's older brother, Eric Gill, worked with Johnston in creating his typeface.[2]

MacDonald was already a renowned decorative map-maker at the time of his commission.[3] His Wonderland map has been described as a 'mixture of cartoon, fantasy, and topological accuracy' and became 'an instant hit with the travelling public;' using solely primary colours, London appears as a medieval town in a medieval map (for instance, using a 'decorative cursive script and dotting chivalric shields' around the edge),[1] with contemporary aspects interspersed, combined with satirical commentary on 'acccent, class and social mobility [that] were major preoccupations of 1914 London.'[2] MacDonald also inserted cameos of both his brother and Frank Pick; for the latter, a figure near Victoria is depicted as saying 'my Pick cannot be surpassed.'[4] It has been described as a precursor to TFL's later Art on the Underground campaign and various spin-off tube maps.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Wainwright, Oliver (15 August 2014). "How map-master Max Gill became the saviour of the London Underground".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "The map that saved the London Underground". BBC News.
  3. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2014/aug/15/-sp-how-map-master-max-gill-became-the-saviour-of-the-london-underground
  4. ↑ "The Wonderground Map Of London Town". 12 July 2011.
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