Underground Maps Unravelled –
Explorations in Information Design

by Dr Maxwell J. Roberts

This book gives an in-depth analysis of how schematic maps assist the user, when they fail, and the psychological theories that explain why. It asks whether traditional design techniques are suited to today’s complex networks, and explores what happens when the rules are broken.

The result is an astonishing collection of maps for cities worldwide that challenge preconceptions about the nature of effective design. Whether you are a graphic designer, transport professional, or just a frustrated commuter, maps will never seem quite the same again.

Members get a great discount - and not being sold on Amazon - but get in quick as it's a "while stocks last" offer...!

Non members UK price: £45 plus £7.50 postage.

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Article by: ottokin

Published: October 26, 2012

First published on: www.bloggokin.it

Often in the past we talked about the Olympic pictograms, such as the recent London Olympics . Today we are discussing the upcoming games of 2014 Sochi (Russia), in fact, recently presented (with little international attention) pictograms that represent the Olympic Winter Games.

For these pictograms, the designer (currently unknown) did an amazing job of iconographic research, taking inspiration from the ones designed by Nikolai Belkov for the 1980 Moscow Olympics . Paying homage to the country that hosted the first Olympics Soviet, but also the fantastic creative experience of Otl Aicher from which all began.

Talking streets signs help tourists pronounce foreign street names

From soundplusdesign.com

As visitors to Denmark, design students Momo Miyazaki and Andrew Spitz have problems pronouncing the Danish street names—as such they came up with a plan. 

Miyazaki and Spitz created talking street signs—as an interactive installation entitled ‘WTPh? (What the Phonics)’—in the touristic areas of Copenhagen, that teach visitors how to pronounce the street names. 

The duo recorded a Danish person speaking the street names, and split each syllable up. 

In karaoke style, lights were placed above the matching syllable of the street sign to show viewers which part of the word is being spoken in real-time—and how to articulate the street names syllable-by-syllable. 

To hear the street name, passers-by just have to touch the speaker attached to the street sign and listen to the recording. 

Article by: Seth Fiegerman

Published: November 8, 2012

First published on: www.mashable.com

It’s about to get a lot easier to find your way around the largest department store in the country — if you have an iPhone.

Macy’s has added a new feature to its iPhone app that provides indoor turn-by-turn directions for its massive flagship location in New York City’s Herald Square, courtesy of Meridian, the software startup behind an indoor GPS platform.

Meridian announced Thursday that it is making two of its indoor positioning software development kits available to third-party developers, who can use it to build an indoor GPS experience into new or existing apps. Macy’s was one of three businesses to be part of Meridian’s beta test for this effort and the department store chain is the first major retailer to roll out the indoor GPS feature.

“Macy’s is kind of the leader right now in a lot of digital initiatives. They’ve been trying out lots of digital initiatives to engage with shoppers in their homes and in stores,” said Jeff Hardison, VP of Marketing and Business for Meridian, explaining why the startup chose to partner with Macy’s. The goal, he says, is that Macy’s will gradually expand the mapping feature to all or most of its other retail locations in the future.

Since launching last year, Meridian has worked with a handful of prominent institutions to build indoor mapping systems from the ground up, including the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Venetian hotel and casino in Las Vegas. The service uses a unique combination of GPS and WiFi data to pinpoint the precise location of the smartphone user indoors. By opening up its SDK to developers, Meridian should see plenty more locations incorporate this technology.

Google also provides indoor maps and walking directions for airports, malls and retail locations, including Macy’s, with Google Maps. However, this is the first time that the feature has been baked into Macy’s own smartphone application. Meridian also goes one step further and can advertise and direct users to specific items at a given location — a potentially powerful tool for retailers like Macy’s.

“Not only will we be able to give shoppers a utility to get around stores and find products, but now we will be able to ask if they want to receive offers based on where they are standing,” Hardison told Mashable. “You can imagine how big that is [for retailers].”

Retail is one of three big sectors that Meridian hopes to grow its technology in going forward. The other two are health care and hospitality, which is why in addition to Macy’s, Meridian’s beta test also included the Miami Children’s Hospital and the Sydney Airport.

Image courtesy of Meridian