Born in 1902, Harry Beck was an English engineering draftsman (制图员) who brought about a small revolution in the early 1930s when he created a completely new map of the London Underground.
Before Beck’s design, early maps were usually drawn to a geographically accurate scale (比例). Map designers simply placed the subway lines on standard maps of the city streets. These maps clearly showed the subway lines that reached the areas outside the centre of London, but they made it difficult to make out the busy lines that joined directly under central London.
In the 1930s, Beck came up with a solution that would not take the geographical accuracy into account. He created a map that was a scaled-down linear diagram of the subway lines. More a basic outline of the lines than a true-to-life map, it didn’t tell travelers about how far it actually was between two points. Beck’s map had a clean structure with coloured lines. His idea was to create the plainest guide to show travelers how to get from one station to another.
It’s not clear what inspired him to start the project; he wasn’t asked to do it, but likely developed his design in his free time, while between jobs. It was more a presentation of his being creative, in seeing a problem and coming up with an answer to it, than a response to public demand.
His design was then presented to the London Passenger Transport Board, whose members refused to accept it, feeling that not showing relative distances between stations was silly and unreasonable. Still, after a time, in order to increase subway ridership and therefore earn more money, the Board decided to print a limited number of copies. Gradually, Beck’s map became a huge success.
For most of his life, Beck continued to make small improvements to the diagram, but he kept its basic designs and ideas. His clear diagrammatic method of mapping has been generally accepted and followed in the field of information design not only in London but also around the world.
4. What is the disadvantage of early subway maps?
A.They were not to scale. | B.They were hard to draw. |
C.They were not user-friendly. | D.They were seldom updated. |
5. Which aspect of a subway map did Beck focus on?
A.Its simplicity. | B.Its vivid details. |
C.Its completeness. | D.Its geographical accuracy. |
6. What do we know about Beck’s map from paragraphs 4 and 5?
A.It was created accidentally. | B.It was an immediate success. |
C.It was a reflection of his creativity. | D.It was designed to meet public need. |
7. How did Beck contribute to the world?
A.He changed the construction of subways. |
B.He inspired designers to improve the subway. |
C.He made the first scaled-down linear map. |
D.He provided a model for the design of subway maps. |