Max Gill was also involved in the early development of the the London Underground map before Harry Beck went to create the map we know and love so well.

If you haven’t already been to see the exhibition then I definitely recommended you go. Its on until the 4th May!

Max Gill Exhibition is a post from the Maynard Design Consultancy Blog

With our work at Maynard we understand the importance of developing a clear wayfinding
strategy and a graphically comprehensible sign system, but we also feel that there is real
importance to the underlying vision of a system. What’s the story behind it, why use that
certain font and colour palette, does it say enough of the place it’s signing, does it express
the essence of the city?

Transport systems are brands, they have an identity and a consistent language that is
often expressed throughout their system from the way the maps look, to the uniforms
the staff wear, to the shapes of the vehicles. They have to constantly market their service.
The public may not always pay attention to such details, they may not care if the TfL
worker making announcements on the Northbound Bakerloo line platform has roundels
on his customised boots (very cool!) or that the roundel was born from a vision of combining
art and functional architecture, but if these details didn’t exist and hadn’t filtered down then
what would we end up with? A ramshackle of a network? A system without structure? Don’t
get me wrong, I know that to some these details are frivolous, that value & efficiency is what
people care most about public transport, but from a creative point of view the most memorable
transport networks out there are ones that have given themselves a strong identity, consider
these details and value the importance of brand. As a Londoner I’m certainly proud of the
iconic status that TfL has created. The roundel, recently celebrating 150 years, is one of the
most iconic symbols of London and possibly of a transport system. People recognise it
instantly, helping them to navigate their way around a densely populated metropolis.

When you visit a new city this is what you want to see. A visibly clear and identifiable sign that
lets you know, here it is, here is the metro, here is your bus stop, you have arrived! Identification
signs provide the first impression, they are visual markers, appearing at the beginning and end
of a journey. They express a place’s personality and character, setting the tone for how the whole
network is seen. A point to add here is that the identifier doesn’t just have to be in the form of
graphic mark, it could be expressed through the architecture and product language of the
sign or all three.

So which cities do this well? Paris, New York, London and Hong Kong to name but a few.
New York certainly has a recognisable graphic style and one that suits the city. Bold and symbolic,
the whole graphic system is the identity, unapologetically using helvetica, white on black with pop
colours to emphasize routes, a glorious graphic style that influences over and over again. It may
not be perfect but if you were to show it someone who had never even stepped foot in New York
they would probably recognise it as the ‘New York subway system’, that’s how well known it is.

Paris is another example of expressing a representative style. Noted for its density within the city
limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau, there’s something utterly beguiling
about all those metro signs. The New York Modern Art Museum bought the disused wrought-iron
railings from a Metro entrance 40 years ago and displays them as a pioneering and beautiful
example of art nouveau. Even the newer signs have a recognisable style to them that evokes
the more elaborate style of the latter day signs. Chic and ‘oh so continental’, these signs could
only ever suit the Parisian cityscape.

All these transport systems are big players, they are what people will refer to time and time again
when working on projects like these. Maybe some of the styles aren’t everyones cup of tea, but
for a city and a transport system it’s essential that they not only offer a solid wayfinding system,
but one that expresses character and communicates identity. After all there will always been some
people out there who pay attention to these details and others that like it but just don’t know why.

The importance of identity in transport is a post from the Maynard Design Consultancy Blog

As we are in the 150th year of the London Underground, there have been many homages to the iconic designs of the London Underground. I came across this example of furniture design on the Creative Review blog which shows how student Clare Newsam used the roundel to create a seesaw. She used genuine London Underground fabric for the seat covers to create a playful piece of unique furniture design. To have a look at the full blog article, click here.

Roundel Furniture is a post from the Maynard Design Consultancy Blog

Here are a few of my favourite posters:

1. I love the colours and array of patterns that are created with the umbrellas. It makes the poster even more eye-catching.

2. Part of the reason I like this poster is the humour behind it. We all know that if its hot outside in London that it will be sweltering on the Underground.

3. Like the poster above it is trying to encourage the general public to use the underground whatever the weather. What I particularly like about this poster is the solitary policeman embracing the rain and continuing with his work regardless of the weather.

4. I particularly like the shapes that are created in this poster and the fluid motion, which makes it very appealing to the eye.

5. What I love about this poster is how everyone is flocking to the Underground as if they cannot resist it. I really like the little dog to the middle right of the poster who is also reluctantly drawn to the Underground.

6. Finally I chose this poster due to its simplicity and the lovely illustration. I also like how there a variety of interesting people in the queue, highlighting that everyone uses the Underground.

150 years of the London Underground is a post from the Maynard Design Consultancy Blog

Privacy International Prospectus

Envelope Packaging

Perforated Edges

Contents Page

Various Pages in the Prospectus

Prospectus Spread

Prospectus Packaging is a post from the Maynard Design Consultancy Blog

I was doing some research on the signage used at metro and subway systems, and stumbled upon this fantastic signage used at Shibuya metro station in Tokyo, Japan. Shibuya is one of Japan’s busiest metro stations and the signage was installed to help guide people to the Fuku-toshin line. The colours used are in co-ordination with the colours of the metro lines and they are accompanied with clear pictograms, which aids navigation. The floor to ceiling signage makes a huge impact, especially in crowds as the information is placed above head height so they are always visible.

In certain areas in the station, the signs are backlit which makes them even brighter and more eye-catching. This shows how the boundaries of station wayfinding can be pushed to create great and memorable results.

Tokyo Signage is a post from the Maynard Design Consultancy Blog

1. To start with you need to gather the equipment needed to make the decoration. You will need scissors, double-sided tape or glue and some thread, along with the template.

Equipment with template

2. Firstly cut out the template.

Cutting out the Diagram

3. Next fold on the dotted lines so that all the flaps and tabs can be constructed to make the decoration.

Fold on the dotted lines

4. Place double-sided tape/glue on all of the tabs.

Double-sided tape on tabs

5. Now begin to construct the decoration by attaching the flaps to the corresponding tabs.

6. When you get to the penultimate tab, you need to attach a piece of thread or string to the inside of the decoration to ensure you can hang your decoration.

Thread attached to Decoration

7. Attach the remaining flaps to the tabs and you will have completed your decoration.

Finished Decoration

8. Now you need to find somewhere festive to hang your new Maynard decoration.

Hanging Decoration

If you have any further questions please comment on the post and I will get back to you as quickly as possible.

How to make the 2012 Maynard Decoration is a post from the Maynard Design Consultancy Blog

Maynard 2012 Tree Decoration

Merry Christmas from Maynard is a post from the Maynard Design Consultancy Blog

There are many examples of clever ideas executed through paper. One of the best examples I found recently was on the blog Justin’s Amazing World at Fenner Paper, which focuses on a business card created for 20th century furniture producer, Bentply. I love the simplicity of the idea and how the business card becomes a chair itself. The paper has a wood effect which further compliments the project, and highlights how versatile paper can be and the beautiful results it can produce.

Business Card

Front of Chair Business Card

Back View of Chair

Side View of Chair

Interesting Paper Creation is a post from the Maynard Design Consultancy Blog

Here are a few photos of the work in progress and a sample of the prototypes I made.

Ideas

3D Snowflake

Decoration

Bell Decoration

Christmas desk

Christmas Ideas

If you would like to try and create the Maynard Christmas Bauble, you can find the instructions below:

Maynard Festive Bauble

Circles to make the Maynard Bauble

Another decoration idea is also shown below:

Festive Decoration

For the official Maynard 2012 Christmas card, you wont have to wait too long! Just watch this space…

Christmas is nearly here… is a post from the Maynard Design Consultancy Blog