Harry Beck, London Underground and Design (Lecture)

Notes on video-

Design has played a big part of the London Underground
1863 worlds first underground system to use steam trains.
Many people used to view the London Underground as hell in the 18th century.
1910- New electric trains.
The unconscious- people who had their photos taken asleep on the underground.
people considered trains on the tube as the"the padded cell'
Advertising was used to reduce peoples anxiety of travelling on the tube.
Design was used to encourage people to travel
Frank Pick - Helped design the branding. He comissioned Edward Johnson to create typeface.
Frank pick wanted to get rid of the victorian feel of the underground and out up good designs and are it feel more welcoming. pointed out the benefits of underground travelling. METRO LAND
built up the undergrounds reputations by creating designs and pieces of art.
First branding by Frank Pick
London Underground is considered as the countries longest art gallery.
London Underground is classless.
Art has to have a purpose (Design)
Piccadily- Charles holden built the stations
If things are well designed, people will feel happier.
Harry beck created the London Underground map. The map is a diagram as you won't need to know how to get from station to station.
Art and design has always played a big part in the history of the underground.
Henry Moore

Design classics

Greatest British design icon
He was paid 5 guineas
Easy to navigate your way through the underground using the map.
Almost impossible to improve the design.
2 and a half million people use the underground everyday
Lots of attempts were made to create a map
Frank Pick set out to transform design
Charles Holden
1933- New map- form and function- Was turned down for being to strange
Beck designed the map when he was laid off when he designed the map
Trial edition of 500 copies- People loved it.
Beck worked on the system of trial and error, he based the map on electrical circuits.
He was not a graphic designer- helped the diagram to be easy to read in a way.
he worked on the map in his spare time.
He spent 26 years working on the London Underground map
1963