The London Underground is an international icon of British engineering. Since its construction in 1863 newer public transport systems have caught up with its scale and technical abilities but none have come close to its worldwide fame and recognisability. The steam engine, railways and the electrification of underground rail travel all deserve their own post on any design oriented blog but I believe the true success of the London Underground lies in its trail blazing graphical design. Its rebranding in the early 20th century remains one of the greatest success stories of corporate graphic design ever and, too often, goes untold.
It is impossible to travel any distance in London without encountering the vivid red and blue glow married with bold lettering to let you know that you’re passing an underground station. Signs are everywhere for them; beside you on building fronts, above your head mounted to traditional lantern carrying lampposts any Mr Tumnus enthusiast would enjoy, and on any London transport advertisement or mapping. This simple, eye-catching logo and font feels contemporary. It could’ve easily been designed in the last 50 no, 30 years. However, it actually dates back to 1908 when Frank Pick became the Chief Executive of London Transport. The Underground system desperately needed help to make it a more desirable form of public transport for the local Londoners. Pick oversaw every aspect of the customer experience including architecture, signage and advertisement within stations and criticised the lack promotional publicity. Pick endeavoured to change public opinion so in 1913 he commissioned Edward Johnston to design a new house font for the Underground and redesign the roundel logo to featured the typeface.
Edward Johnston was born in Uruguay, 1872, but grew up in England. He took an early interest in illuminations, the art of copying manuscripts in beautiful handwriting to preserve them. He quickly realised medicine at the University of Edinburgh wasn’t for him so he left to pursue the arts. After a significant career studying and teaching, including a book publication in 1906, Johnston produced his most famous work to date. At first glance Pick’s brief is a complete paradox but it’s clear Johnston shared his artistic vision. Johnston combined functionality with aesthetical craftsmanship to create a typeface that is simple yet distinctive, bold yet humanistic - an example of modernism that draws on historical typography. By utilising exact 45 degree diagonal strokes, definite circles and uniform line thickness Johnston delivered the first modern sans serif font and a timeless classic. This work inspired his student and close friend Eric Gill, a fellow calligrapher, to design the equally compelling Gill Sans typeface in 1926.
Pick was so pleased with the typeface he adopted it for all companywide publications. This decision helped define an early successful model for business branding. This was not common practice at the time but one that would be replicated by organisations for the following century. Pick foresaw the value in the strength of this branding so he also commissioned Johnston to redesign the Underground’s logo. The original red disk and blue line was refined and married with the typeface to produce the famous “bull’s-eye” shape with lettering through the centre which we know today. The striking use of bright colours and bold lettering is a stroke, pun intended, of genius. It’s a totally complete and distinctive piece of graphic design. Johnston continued his work with the Underground throughout the 1920s until 1933. He offered graphical advice and adapted variation of the logo to improve its functionality for new rail and road divisions of the Underground.
Together, Frank Pick and Edward Johnston revived the London Underground’s identity. Johnston’s extraordinary design work and Pick’s business foresight to utilise a standardised house font and logo is an unparalleled story of success which solidified the Underground’s logo as an integral international symbol of London. It also helps us tourists spot station entrances.