Awesome Redesigned Underground Maps

Harry Beck's famous map of the London Underground has rightly gone down in history as a design classic but, with it approaching its 80th birthday, perhaps it's time for an update.

At least, that's what the Seoul-based graphic design company Zero Per Zero believe, as they work their way through redesigning a host of the world's subway maps. They aim to use a “new approach to projecting the identity of a city onto its subway map” and have used other icons and shapes to influence their design.

Thus, the heart from the famous 'I heart NY' t-shirts influences the New York one, while London lays down the zone system, takes elements from the round-cornered cross section of the existing map and the Union Jack flag, then lays the railway lines down on it. Paris' subway is housed within a silhouette of the Eiffel Tower, while Amsterdam's is within a tulip.

Check below for our favourite five, and view more on their website. You can also buy them from this link.

(Images: ZeroPerZero)

NEW YORK

LONDON

AMSTERDAM

PARIS

TOKYO

BARCELONA