The Tube Reinterpreted & Celebrated

Visiting London this year was amazing! One thing I found particularly amazing was the Tube. It was amazing to see that trains would stop at the station every 5 minutes! That and the different character of each station – I really enjoyed Baker Street’s etched posters!

To celebrate my love for the Tube, I thought I’d share some awesomeness I stumbled upon on the interwebs, some of which you may have seen, nonetheless, still cool :).


Ø Line Colours by Leon Wilkinson

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon Leon Wilkinson’s series of “Line Colours” posters. Each station is represented by the colours of the lines that connect at that station, resulting in a beautifully simple and clever print! Definitely something I wish I had thought to do!


From left: Waterloo, Euston, Knightsbridge and Baker Street.


You can buy the posters at http://print-process.com/product/?product-id=542.


Ø Vintage posters discovered at Notting Hill Gate Station

Some pictures taken by Mikey Ashworth,  ‘Design and Heritage Manager’ for London Underground, after vintage posters were found dating back to the 50’s in the old non-public passageways of Notting Hill Gate Station after an upgrade of the station in 2010.

Aren’t they just stunning?! A beautiful time capsule of time long past. Click and zoom to view larger.

You can find the full set here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36844288@N00/sets/72157624079183751/with/4669837848/.

Ø Michael Landy’s Acts of Kindness Project

Michael Landy’s Acts of Kindness calls for tube travelers to send in stories in which they encountered some kindness on the tube.

Here’s one of my favourite stories submitted:

“I was in the pit of a severe depression, sitting on the tube, staring at my knees, trying not to cry. I could just see the man opposite me, folding a piece of paper. The train stopped and in my lap the man placed the piece of paper, which he had folded into a beautiful little white horse. He smiled and left the train. A light appeared in the pit.”


Read more touching stories at http://art.tfl.gov.uk/actsofkindness.


Ø Tube or False?

Background texture - seat cover design, Piccadilly line, 1940s.

Background texture - seat cover design, Metropolitan line, 1990s


Also in 2010, Transport for London celebrated the tubes’ existence for over 150 years with a series of engaging posters entitled ‘Tube or False?”. Each poster headlined an unusual or interesting ‘fact’ set against a backdrop of seat cover design from a certain period and the reader was challenged to guess if it was true or false. A bit like Balderdash I guess?  Very nice idea.


Find out all the answers at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/modesoftransport/tube/history/.


Ø Johnny Cupcakes' Tube Tee

One of the tees in Johnny Cupcakes' exclusive London range only available at their London Carnaby location. Sadly seems like this tee is not longer available :( Clever idea. See the full London range here: http://www.johnnycupcakes.com/blog/2011/04/jc-london-exclusives/

And speaking of cupcakes..

Ø Tube Cupcakes

Awesome cupcakes Jessica Wilson made for a farewell party. Read more about it here: http://fushmush.net/n/1005.