It is wrong to assume that a lack of complaints means that people understand maps and timetables at bus stops, argues DOUG ROSE, who set up his own new company, FWT-London, following the sale of the previous FWT’s trade and assets last autumn and is keen to make these essentials work properly
PUBLICITY MATTERS
My contribution to the old FWT company was all matters to do with information design and project management, as opposed to much of the day-to-day artworking, which was largely left to others, some of whom I am pleased to say now work for FWT-London.
I have always put functionality and usability first when it comes to all forms of passenger information. Many products are to a formula that may work in one town or city, but without understanding the context of another, they may not work there. Simply copying without understanding context is a waste of money. Having designed new variants of London Transport’s Johnston typeface, a conversation at the highest level within Transport for London led to me creating an image library of about 8,000 place names and route numbers for bus blinds, based on a sound understanding of just how vital correct letter spacing is to legibility — especially for the moving target of an approaching bus.
I have some strong views on Disability Discrimination Act guidelines for bus destination displays; despite them undoubtedly being well meaning, I believe the guidelines are fundamentally flawed. I have given talks (there is a YouTube link from FWT-London’s website) on how misunderstood this ‘science’ is, because it is all too easy to type place names on a keyboard or source them from a database and ignore the layout. FWT-London is based on a sturdy legacy of decades in the industry. It comprises a small group of specialists whose past work included concept and production design of London’s spider maps and multi-route panels.…
