If you’re like me, you may sometimes feel that we all are drowning in a world of infogaphics — they’re on the web, in the news, and even on the gondola project. We use them because they’re a great way to display a lot of information in a visual and fun way. It’s the new big thing, right?
Nope. Infographics have been around for decades. For example, this collection of pro-transit posters were created by Transport London during the 1920s and 30s.
London Transport Museum
The vintage graphics are both timely and offer an interesting comparison between then and now. While we might not compare horse-drawn vehicles with public transit speeds in 2012, the designs show how much of our thinking has not changed in nearly 100 years — still looking at speeds, comfort, and material used.
London Transport Museum
My favourite part about the poster above is that it is straight forward. The buggy goes this fast, the train goes this much faster. Today with so many technologies there are also so many options, and so many more arguments and statistics. Cities are full of congestion (which slows cars, but not subways) and opinions run rampant. We’ve already had the discussion over maximum vs operational speeds ensue, twice even. 1923 just seems like a simpler time.
London Transport Museum
Currently these posters, and many more are on display at the London Transport Museum. The show is on through most of March. It looks like also on display are renderings of the London Cable Car, which is now, maybe, set to open in time for the Olympics.