How did we all get so hooked on these objects most people take for granted? What makes transit maps iconic to the city the represent? And let’s celebrate some of the weirdest and wackiest ones ever made. Design historian and broadcaster Mark Ovenden, whose first book Metro Maps of the World came from his own collection, explains how he got the idea to make the book and why it’s turned into a lot more than a hobby.

People who travel on public transportation check a wide range of information through map service. To provide better information, it is important to design the service reflecting on local public transportation and the need for its users. This talk will share how NAVER, a major search company providing map service in South Korea, has been reflecting on the tendency of Korean users and environment on the interface.

Public transportation is relevant to our cities. Despite all new technology, people still need to show up to each other, and to move around freely. Public transport is going to remain the most efficient way of helping them do so. Given the challenges public transport industry faces all around the world, such as under-funding, under-appreciaction, lack of user-friendly approach, it is very important to think of transit more as a product that users will desire to buy, and buy into. With this in mind, mapping is a powerful instrument of communication, not only between the transit operators and the users, but also within the transit planning process. During the presentation, Ilya will give an overview of how public transport is designed and operated. He will address the resemblance in thinking process behind planning public transportation services and designing great transit maps.