100 years of the roundel
December 4, 2008 12:09 AM Subscribe
London's iconic transportation symbol, the roundel, is 100 years old this year and a new online exhibit at the London Transport Museum features some amazing galleries of architecture, promotional material, livery and a great illustrated history of the mark.
To add to Annie's collection, The Old King's Road pub in Santa Barbara.
On a slight tangent – I received an email from Transport for London today informing me of the range of Travel Tools available on their website. Somewhat ironically, considering the intellectual property they deal with, the icons are a total rip off of iPhone App icons but only one is a mobile application, rather than an SMS service, and it doesn't work with the iPhone. Smack round the back of the head for the web design dept./agency.
Also, previous LU-related on Metafilter.
posted by i_cola at 5:42 AM on December 4, 2008
On a slight tangent – I received an email from Transport for London today informing me of the range of Travel Tools available on their website. Somewhat ironically, considering the intellectual property they deal with, the icons are a total rip off of iPhone App icons but only one is a mobile application, rather than an SMS service, and it doesn't work with the iPhone. Smack round the back of the head for the web design dept./agency.
Also, previous LU-related on Metafilter.
posted by i_cola at 5:42 AM on December 4, 2008
We got to London and visited the Transport Museum this May and we saw the exhibit on the roundel. (and bought a roundel fridge magnet)
I work for a big ad agency so I can appreciate a well-designed out logo, how novel it was for the time, and how well it has stood up over the years.
Thanks for the reminder.
posted by Artful Codger at 7:08 AM on December 4, 2008
I work for a big ad agency so I can appreciate a well-designed out logo, how novel it was for the time, and how well it has stood up over the years.
Thanks for the reminder.
posted by Artful Codger at 7:08 AM on December 4, 2008
rokusan: Enough of your nerdy bowel problems ;-)
posted by i_cola at 7:10 AM on December 4, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by i_cola at 7:10 AM on December 4, 2008 [1 favorite]
Mmmm... Gill Sans. *drool*
posted by infinitewindow at 7:59 AM on December 4, 2008
posted by infinitewindow at 7:59 AM on December 4, 2008
Actually, not Gill Sans, but Johnston, a typeface designed some ten years earlier by Johnston for London Transport. Eric Gill actually drew inspiration from it for Gill Sans.
posted by acb at 9:44 AM on December 4, 2008
posted by acb at 9:44 AM on December 4, 2008
I drool corrected, acb.
posted by infinitewindow at 12:19 PM on December 4, 2008
posted by infinitewindow at 12:19 PM on December 4, 2008
Neat! I will have to check this out next time I'm in London. I have a great, near sexual fondness for subways.
Fun Side Note: The much-much smaller and much-much pokier NYC Transit Museum has one thing going for it. They have an entire platform worth of subway cars from 1904-to-modern day, complete with ads and maps. While admiring the details (why wicker?), check to see if the guard is looking. If he is not, then you have a once in a lifetime experience to RUN THROUGH TIME ITSELF.
"Race you to the 70s!"
Wheeee!
posted by The Whelk at 4:24 PM on December 4, 2008
Fun Side Note: The much-much smaller and much-much pokier NYC Transit Museum has one thing going for it. They have an entire platform worth of subway cars from 1904-to-modern day, complete with ads and maps. While admiring the details (why wicker?), check to see if the guard is looking. If he is not, then you have a once in a lifetime experience to RUN THROUGH TIME ITSELF.
"Race you to the 70s!"
Wheeee!
posted by The Whelk at 4:24 PM on December 4, 2008
On a slight tangent – I received an email from Transport for London today informing me of the range of Travel Tools available on their website. Somewhat ironically, considering the intellectual property they deal with, the icons are a total rip off of iPhone App icons but only one is a mobile application, rather than an SMS service, and it doesn't work with the iPhone. Smack round the back of the head for the web design dept./agency.
Their mobile services are still very much a "work in progress."
I was lucky enough to get a run through of their new services and future plans with their developers and some higher-up strategy guys a week or so ago (the same meeting Annie was at) and it was very clear that they know what they've done already and where they want to be.
iPhone apps and whatnot are in progress, as is smartpay via mobile devices and proper localised and individualised data services over phone and internet. They're working on Bluetooth-delivered maps and services for people when they're below ground and when one of the other guests at the meeting (who had a background in communications technology) mentioned single-cell datapushes I've never seen so many eyes light up and developers start scribbling.
Basically TfL have bought into internet and mobile completely, and are trying very hard to get it right and do it well in relation to the services they provide, rather than just trying to do everything simply for the sake of doing it. They're not perfect by any stretch - I asked what their policy was on APIs and whether they'd ever provide them and the answer was a clear no. Even there, however, at least they had a policy and knew what I was talking about, and they also made it clear that they had no intention of shutting down anyone doing site scrapes or suchlike of their data as long as the end product was non-commercial and 100% accurate (it was accuracy that genuinely seemed to be their major concern rather than marketing issues to do with "preserving the brand"). They even admitted to using them themselves and as inspiration points for official services they were now looking to bring online.
Anyway, guess all I'm saying is that whilst its definitely worth approaching the services they provide with a critical eye, I can genuinely say that internally TfL "get it" when it comes to internet and mobile, and aren't just going through the motions, trying to tick all the boxes on the "how to be hip like google" cheatsheet, or dropping cash indiscriminately on whatever web 2.0 media bollocks company has approached them this week.
posted by garius at 3:14 AM on December 5, 2008 [1 favorite]
Their mobile services are still very much a "work in progress."
I was lucky enough to get a run through of their new services and future plans with their developers and some higher-up strategy guys a week or so ago (the same meeting Annie was at) and it was very clear that they know what they've done already and where they want to be.
iPhone apps and whatnot are in progress, as is smartpay via mobile devices and proper localised and individualised data services over phone and internet. They're working on Bluetooth-delivered maps and services for people when they're below ground and when one of the other guests at the meeting (who had a background in communications technology) mentioned single-cell datapushes I've never seen so many eyes light up and developers start scribbling.
Basically TfL have bought into internet and mobile completely, and are trying very hard to get it right and do it well in relation to the services they provide, rather than just trying to do everything simply for the sake of doing it. They're not perfect by any stretch - I asked what their policy was on APIs and whether they'd ever provide them and the answer was a clear no. Even there, however, at least they had a policy and knew what I was talking about, and they also made it clear that they had no intention of shutting down anyone doing site scrapes or suchlike of their data as long as the end product was non-commercial and 100% accurate (it was accuracy that genuinely seemed to be their major concern rather than marketing issues to do with "preserving the brand"). They even admitted to using them themselves and as inspiration points for official services they were now looking to bring online.
Anyway, guess all I'm saying is that whilst its definitely worth approaching the services they provide with a critical eye, I can genuinely say that internally TfL "get it" when it comes to internet and mobile, and aren't just going through the motions, trying to tick all the boxes on the "how to be hip like google" cheatsheet, or dropping cash indiscriminately on whatever web 2.0 media bollocks company has approached them this week.
posted by garius at 3:14 AM on December 5, 2008 [1 favorite]
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posted by jonesor at 3:53 AM on December 4, 2008 [1 favorite]