London Underground By Design is the beautifully illustrated new
book from Mark Ovenden, the acclaimed author of Great Railway Maps
of the World, published to coincide with the 150th anniversary of
the Tube in 2013. Since its establishment 150 years ago as the
world's first urban subway, the London Underground has continuously
set a benchmark for design that has influenced transit systems from
New York to Tokyo, Moscow to Paris and beyond. London Underground
by Design is the first meticulous study of every aspect of that
feat, a comprehensive history of one of the world's most celebrated
design achievements, and of the visionaries who brought it to life.
Beginning in the pioneering Victorian age, Mark Ovenden charts the
evolution of architecture, branding, typeface, map design, interior
and textile styles, posters, signage and graphic design and how
these came together to shape not just the Underground's identity,
but the character of London itself. This is the story of celebrated
designers - from Frank Pick, the guru who conceptualised the modern
Tube's look under the 'design fit for purpose' mantra, to Harry
Beck, Tube diagram creator, and from Marion Dorn, one of the
twentieth century's leading textile designers, to Edward Johnston,
creator of the distinctive font that bears his name, as well as
Leslie Green, designer of central London's distinctive ruby-red
tiled stations, and the Design Research Unit's head, Misha Black,
who in the 1960s rebranded British Railways and created the
Victoria line's distinctive style, and Sir Norman Foster, architect
of Canary Wharf station. 'Fascinating ... authoritative ...
bristles with photographs I've never seen before ... the book does
ample justice to a network that - overcrowded and overpriced - is a
glorious palimpsest of design' Andrew Martin, Observer 'I wouldn't
ordinarily enthuse about one book at such length, but this is an
important work...not because it's an entertaining read (it is), but
because it identifies the birth of a brand...and records the birth
of a new idea - the transport interchange' Kevin McCloud, Grand
Designs Magazine 'Mark Ovenden has devotedly documented the designs
associated with [the Underground] ... "addictive" for anyone
interested in the look of everyday life' Telegraph 'This
beautifully illustrated history is a worth tribute [to 150 years of
design]' Shortlist 'A wonderful, handsome book ... it makes me want
to nerd out, get a travel card and whiz out to the strange ends of
Metroland or the UFO shape of Southgate station' Robert
Bownes/Andrew Tuck, Monocle Weekly (Radio programme) Mark Ovenden
is a British writer and broadcaster. His previous books are Metro
Maps of the World, Paris Metro Style and Great Railway Maps of the
World. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society and lives in
London.
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