{"id":67223,"date":"2017-03-30T01:44:29","date_gmt":"2017-03-29T23:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grapheine.com\/graphic-design-en\/evolution-du-plan-de-metro-de-paris"},"modified":"2023-06-26T13:47:37","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T11:47:37","slug":"evolution-of-the-paris-metro-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grapheine.com\/en\/graphic-design-en\/evolution-of-the-paris-metro-map","title":{"rendered":"Evolution of the Paris metro map: from spaghetti dish to futuristic city"},"content":{"rendered":"

Subway map design is far from being a simple matter of geotagged color lines. being a real headache, it's been making urban planners sweat for over a century. Here's a concentrate of the evolution of the Paris metro map<\/strong> and beyond, including spaghetti, beer and futuristic cities.<\/p>\n

45\u00b0 spaghetti<\/h2>\n

In the family of subway map designers I would like the most famous of all: Harry Beck<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 1933, Beck, an industrial designer, created a simplified London Underground map<\/a> with colors and standardized distances between stations, following a grid with 45\u00b0 angles<\/strong>. It was a revolution. Well, a revolution on a transport scale, but still, it was an immediate success.<\/p>\n

To better understand the situation, take a look at the London Underground map of 1931, before Beck - a map known as the \"spaghetti plate<\/strong>\". Not shocking in the least, it reminds us of our good old French subway maps.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Then the same plan \"revisited\" by Beck, in 1933, close to the one we know today. Tidy, clean, precise. Effective:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Straight lines, harmonized distances, 45\u00b0 curves and, above all, reduced spacing between suburban stations. This system, known as the \"schematic diagram<\/strong>\", proved so successful that it was adopted almost everywhere in the world: Sydney, Munich, Tokyo, New York, St Petersburg, Osaka, Montreal... and this as early as 1939. But there was one town that would always resist the invaders: Paris.<\/p>\n

Parisian knots<\/h2>\n

In 1930, this is what the Paris metro map looked like.<\/strong> A veritable plate of colored spaghetti.
\nBeck tried twice to schematize the Paris metro map in \"straight lines\", but to no avail.<\/p>\n

\"plan-metro-paris\"<\/p>\n

At the end of the Second World War, Beck proposed his first standardized Paris metro map to the French<\/strong>, who rejected it outright. It was a messy affair that was repeated in 1955 when Beck proposed a second version: the same thing happened again. At the same time, the famous double-deckers - London's double-decker buses - were also politely refused access to Paris. I guess English fashion isn't all the rage.<\/p>\n

Below is Beck's 1945 proposal for the Paris metro - compared to the current version:<\/p>\n

\"plan-metro-paris\"<\/p>\n

His second proposal from 1951:<\/p>\n

\"plan-metro-paris\"<\/p>\n

The beginnings of a simplified map were undeniably visible in Beck's plans, but it would be many decades before Paris adopted this model.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These images of the evolution of the Paris metro map<\/strong> (1903, 1930, 1939, 1967, 1970, 2012, then 2016 - unofficial) trace the passage from the spaghetti plate to the schematic diagram:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

While we are on the subject of spaghetti...<\/h2>\n

A little digression...
\nLast year, we were invited to design a tribute poster to Italian designer Massimo Vignelli<\/a>. Our creation was a humorous nod to the New York subway map he designed in 1972. According to the designer himself, his design was inspired by a plate of spaghetti! What could be more logical for an Italian designer?<\/p>\n

Take a look at the various posters designed for this tribute exhibition:<\/p>\n

www.grapheine.com\/divers\/exposition-massimo-vignelli<\/a><\/p>\n

\"massimo_forever\"<\/p>\n

\"plan-metro-vignelli-2008\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Map and plan: the same battle<\/h2>\n

Is the British engineer a little too avant-garde for the French? Certainly not. The French have been attached to their maps for ages. The old plans of the city by Turgot in 1739 -see below- illustrate a 3D layout that was to serve as the basis for the capital's public transport plans.<\/p>\n

We are not telling you anything, but the Paris metro map has two functions: a plan and a map of the city. This is not the case in other cities, so it's an important detail. With a metro stop every 200m or so, it's hard to simplify maps and distort distances between 2 stations, especially when you know how precious time is for Parisians. Op-ti-mi-za-tion.<\/p>\n

\"plan-paris\"<\/p>\n

\"metro-paris\"<\/p>\n

The futuristic city<\/h2>\n

In 2012, Maxwell Roberts proposed a circular metro map<\/strong>, designed to facilitate understanding and reduce map reading time by 50%. Once again, this is without counting on the double use of the metro map \/ city map.
\nBelow London, New York, Paris.<\/p>\n

\"plan-metro-londres\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"plan-metro-new-york\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"plan-metro-paris\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>The futuristic result is reminiscent of utopian city plans, notably EPCOT<\/a><\/strong>, Walt Disney's ideal city<\/strong>. Inspired by the American ideal of life, this project, abandoned on his death, combined work, life and entertainment. We see more of it in this film, starting at the 10-minute mark.<\/p>\n