Design Icons

A collection of your favourite transport designs.

[transportedbydesign]

Ooooh! I could stare at this evolution of the roundel for hours!

[transportedbydesign]

Hello design lovers! Have you been over to Baker Street station yet? To celebrate two of our top Design Icons - Platforms 5 and 6 and the S-stock trains - we've installed this exhibition at the station which contains more information about these icons. Go take a look and let us know what you think.

[transportedbydesign]

Westminster station We are closing out our celebration of the top 10 design icons with Westminster station, one of the stations opened in 1999 as part of the Jubilee line extension. Westminster station was designed by Hopkins Architects, and had to accommodate the existing District and Circle as well as create new infrastructure for the Jubilee line. What resulted was a station that is serious and solid, just like the institutions surrounding it. The exposed concrete and steel create a sense of strength and power, while the journey from the ticket hall down several escalators to the Jubilee line gives customers a chance to reflect on the beauty of the building.

[transportedbydesign]

S-stock trains Hello all! We're back from our short hiatus - due to the launch of the Underground's Station Design Idiom, but we'll have more on that later this week. Today, we're continuing our look at the Top 10 design icons. One of the newer entries on the list is the S-stock train - the new vehicles that have been introduced on the Circle, Hammersmith and City, and Metropolitan lines, and are currently being rolled out on the District line. Once the rollout is complete, the S-stock will run on about 40% of the entire Underground network. And why are they beloved? Sure, the air-conditioning is nice on hot days, but what people are really responding to is the new, walkthrough design, which makes the entire train feel more spacious. Final one of our top 10 tomorrow!

[transportedbydesign]

Beep beep!

Today we are celebrating the RT-type bus, which was, in its heyday, possibly the biggest bus fleet in the world. 7000 of them were seen along the roads of London, and soon became associated with the city in popular culture.

For example, Cliff Richard starred as a bus mechanic in his 1963 film Summer Holiday. His character ends up transforming the RT-type bus into a swingin’ vacation vehicle that carries him across Europe.

Stay tuned for more facts about our design icons!

[transportedbydesign]

In today's celebration of design icons, our spotlight is on Labyrinth. Art on the Underground commissioned Turner prize winning artist Mark Wallinger to create this artwork in honour of the Underground's 150th anniversary. There is a Labyrinth at each of London Underground's 270 stations. While some of them may look very similar, each one is different, and unique to that station. In his comments on the artwork, Wallinger said, "Mostly we go about our business, journeying to work on the Tube and return home along a prescribed route. The seeming chaos of the rush hour is really just the mass of individuals following the thread of their lives home." While each Labyrinth may initially look confusing and daunting, there is always a way out, back to home - an apt comparison for many of our experiences on the network. Find out more about Labyrinth at art.tfl.gov.uk.

[transportedbydesign]

The icon we are celebrating today is the Routemaster bus, a vehicle that is now synonymous with London. These bright red buses came into use in the postwar period, and were built using the engineering principles developed during London Transport's wartime partnerships with various motor companies. What's most amazing about the Routemaster is its longevity - although they were only intended for 15 years of use, they were used for about 50 years in regular service. The photo above is from 2005, on the last day of the Routemaster. More than 1000 Routemasters still exist, and still run along a heritage route in London - so if you haven't had a chance to ride on one of these beauties, you can catch a Route 15 bus, running from Tower Hill to Trafalgar Square.

[transportedbydesign]

Today, we're celebrating the roundel, one of the top ten design icons for London's transport system - as voted on by you! Roundels were introduced onto the Underground system in 1908, as a new method of station identification. They helped passengers identify stations both at street level and while on the train. Soon their use was expanded to other modes, including buses, trams, and coaches. Although we've been using this symbol for years, it was not dubbed 'the roundel' until 1972, when it was redesigned. You're able to see the above image at the new London by Design gallery in the London Transport Museum.

[transportedbydesign]

Today we're celebrating the design icon of Baker Street station, particularly platforms 5 and 6. This part of the station dates back to the earliest days of the Underground from 1863, and was renovated to reflect its original style. For example, the arches pictured in the photo above were built out and re-lit to more closely appear like the alcoves that once appeared along the platform. These platforms were actually nominated as a design icon by Mike Brown, Commissioner of Transport for London. In his nomination, he said: "One of my earliest jobs on the Underground was serving as the Group Station Manager for Baker Street. It’s a sprawling station, with five different lines converging across its many platforms. Yet platforms 5 and 6, serving the Hammersmith and City line, retains much of its original look and feel from the days when steam trains ran along the Metropolitan line. These two platforms are still fit for purpose today, and are a reminder of how well some of our earliest designs have held up through our history." Stop by Baker Street and take a look - you'll see our newest trains going through one of our oldest platforms!

[transportedbydesign]

Today, we celebrate the beloved Harry Beck tube map. Beck was actually a draughtsman for the company, and made the map because he wanted to figure out a way to better depict the growing tube network. Beck's map was originally rejected within London Underground, as it was such a departure from existing expectations of what a map should look like. He took inspiration from circuit boards, using straight lines and nodes to chart out the network, rather than relying on geographic accuracy. The result was a design classic that has served as the model for countless other metros around the world - and has held up for the past 80 years, even as our network has grown to include the DLR, Overground, and TfL Rail. Thanks, Harry Beck!

[transportedbydesign]

Today's design icon is not actually a design, but a person - the person who is the reason London Underground looks as it does, even today. Frank Pick had a career of over 30 years with the Underground, serving as Commercial Manager and working his way up to Managing Director. During that time, he worked closely with artists and architects to commission what have become classics of design - everything from posters to stations. Pick even commissioned Edward Johnston to design a font for the Underground (appropriately named 'Johnston'). A version of this font is still used by Transport for London today. The London Transport Museum just opened its new 'London by Design' gallery this week, featuring more information about Pick. If you visit, you'll be able to see the picture featured above!

[transportedbydesign]

<b>The black cab</b><br> The black cab is a familiar sight to Londoners - and a symbol of the city for people around the world. <br> The origin of the black cab dates back to 1948, with the introduction of the FX3 model taxi, produced by Austin. <br> Its successor, the FX4, served London for 30 years, from 1959 to the 1980s.<br> Pictured above is the TX1, which was introduced in 1997 with air conditioning and improved access for passengers.<br> Stay tuned for more information about the Design Icons, as voted on by you!

[transportedbydesign]

The votes are in!

And we are happy to announce that Transport for London’s top design icons - as voted on by you - are the following: 1. Black cabs 2. Frank Pick and his gift for commissioning good design 3. Harry Beck’s original Tube map 4. Baker Street Underground station platforms 5. The roundel 6. Original Routemaster bus 7. Labyrinth - the Mark Wallinger artwork found in every Underground station 8. The RT-type bus, which ran from the 1930s to the 1970s 9. The new walkthrough S-stock trains, which run on the Metropolitan, Circle, Hammersmith and City, and District lines 10. Westminster Underground station We’ll be posting some additional information about these icons over the next week or so, so stay tuned for a deeper dive on these icons! Thanks to all of you who voted. There will be additional opportunities to participate in Transported by Design over the next year, and you’ll be able to read about all of them here.

[transportedbydesign]

Yes, there's just enough time to grab a cuppa before our big announcement tomorrow! Stay tuned!

[transportedbydesign]

Big announcement coming soon! Stay tuned to this space for news this week!

[transportedbydesign]

Thank you, Mr. Motorist! And thank all of you for voting for our Design Icons! We were astounded by the fantastic response, and appreciate all of you weighing in on your favourites. Stay tuned for our announcement of the winners - more information will be appearing here.

[transportedbydesign]