d*s reader anne sent over a link to this great project from the london subway system, posted on design assembly. ian at design assembly wrote a great piece about the victoria line and its decorative tiles created by artists. i wish the nyc subway line would do more pieces like this. our subways do have great tile work (i do like the new starn bros. piece at the whitehall ferry stop), but these are seriously cool. here’s what ian has to say about the project:
“The Victoria Line was the first new underground line to cross central London since the beginning of the 20th century. It opened in three sections; in 1968 between Walthamstow Central and Warren Street, in 1969 extending to Victoria, and 1971 stretching down to Brixton. This new line provided the opportunity to produce a new and consistent look across the whole line, from the trains themselves to the stations and platforms. All aspects of design were overseen by Misha Black, the Design Consultant for London Transport (1964–1968), who previously had a similar role with British Rail. He employed the talents of the The Design Research Unit (DRU) – a collective of designers, artists and architects who designed all aspects of the VIctoria Line.
Each platform was designed with a very muted colour scheme, described by some of the press at the time as the ‘late lavatorial style’ (1, P58). The tiled designs in each seat recess provided much needed colour and decoration, and gave each stop its own visual identity. The results were a mixture of direct inspiration from the station name and references to historical details of the local area.“
i’ve chosen some of my favorite tile designs above and below, but you can click here to see all 16 designs at design assembly. thanks, anne!
