How did we make the metro scheme of Minsk

As promised, this article will focus on the process of creating the Minsk metro scheme.

Start

The idea to draw the Minsk metro scheme came to my mind when I saw an updated version from domestic designers. They, in test mode, were hanged at some stations. It so happened that we met her face to face on the platform of the Uruchye metro station. It looks like this:



I thought that you can make it much simpler and more informative, throwing out the excess and putting the right accents.

He began to collect a collection of good schemes and stumbled upon the cool tips of Ilya Birman. I looked at the schemes from the portfolio, was impressed. After reading the description of creating the metro scheme for Yekaterinburg, I realized that I could write a letter to Ilya and ask for advice. He quickly sketched the first version at the sufficiency level and sent a letter. Here is the first version:



Ilya agreed to participate as an art director and productive work began. By the way, I knew Illustrator very poorly and never did a metro map or something like that. A week later, Ilya suggested painting the city in detail:

If the city has only two lines, you need to draw the rest of the city, too.

Let's show some piece of the center straight honestly, with all the stuffing, including the Palace of Soviets, or whatever it is called, we will sign Independence Avenue, the park, so that it is interesting. And outside the center we leave only the remaining stations.

It was necessary to uniformly fill the entire free area, using it as useful as possible. First I drew the central streets, parks, exits from the subway, the river, the railway and even tram tracks. Then added the building.



Around this moment, another designer Kostya Evstratenko joined us. We immediately divided the areas of responsibility and figured out how we would continue to work. Kostya took on isometric sights, and I did the rest. We also came to the conclusion that we need to show the national library, sports arenas, a new branch, railway and bus stations.

To understand even better in drawing parks and rivers on maps, Kostya asked several questions under the Bureau's rubric. A few days later Ilya gave us detailed answers about rivers and parks.Active joint development has gone, so I will further divide the note by months. Such navigation will help navigate the process.

February

In February, we threw all our strength into the city center. We expanded it, added a green branch. Made a list of streets that are included in it. I began to redraw the lines and stations, chose the radius of the rounding of streets and lines, Ilya suggested several options for the stations in the center:



Kostya drew several drafts with different details, put everything together in a heap:



Add the Moscow Ring Road, lines and a river behind the center. In the center, the stations were redone, four buildings were redrawn, a bridge was added. Prepared a version on a white background and on blue. We chose white, it is nicer with it: We



wrap it up and send it to Ilya. The next day we get a detailed answer. Ilya does not like the general color, the buildings are too shiny, the shadow of the island is terrible.

The lines flow down cool, but in essence it’s not that. People will stammer! The station needs to be signed large and the railroad understandable to do.

The transition needs a beautiful gradient.

The only round line of the Moscow Ring Road is knocked out. Poorly. The airplane is very small.

Color schemes for buildings Ilya advised to spy in the game Monument Valley. There are a lot of cool buildings.

Next I will talk about the work process in March and April. Many are surprised that we did this work for 8 months. I want to clarify this point. Kostya and I devoted no more than 7 hours a week to the metro scheme. In general, I spent a little more than 200 hours on this job. It doesn’t sound as powerful as 8 months.

March

In March, we searched for visual language. Having studied the edits of Ilya, we redid the old version. First, the descent of lines from the island. They became smoother:



Further trees. We have put together a folder of files with different maps and schemes. Some of them were especially impressive: They were







inspired and put together a new version. We tried different colors in the buildings and detailed them. Made new trees and a river. They added a gradient to the transition - it got better :) Smoothed the slopes of the lines and the shadow at the central island. Outside the city, the stations showed "stumps." Used more native colors for the city:



Send to Ilya, we get the answer:

Parks, trees, the river is high.

But in general, so far everything is shapeless. Half of the square is empty. It’s worth throwing a maximum of strength right now on this. On the central island, part of the space can clearly be squandered. Parks are signed very finely. Empty neighborhoods must somehow be filled with something else. Too many kinks by the river beyond the center.

Half of the red tail is not signed. It seems like a week to go from Kupalovskaya to Pervomayskaya. So far, a shadow soars the island casts on the scheme. Maybe, somehow do without it? The runoffs of the lines themselves are cool, but there is no sense in them, and they look like kinks.

In general, the form does not seem beautiful, but the whole is more important than the details. This does not mean that the details are not important. It only means that if everything is fine with the details, but in general it doesn’t work out very well, then it doesn’t roll :-)

And then I got an idea that became meaningful. If the form as a whole does not seem beautiful, then you need to use a circle. Therefore, you need to completely redraw the city center so that it fits into the figure. I quickly put on a prototype and sent Ilya.

Ilya said that he liked the idea and asked to try to make the lines symmetrical. Cubes and Kostya marked the buildings we plan to draw. We also added a green line for the test.

Here's a rough draft of the result:



Ilya’s answer:

It is necessary to somehow squeeze or fill in the empty quarters. The central circle should look more or less evenly dense.

Circles in vain are darker than lines. Need a new font, this one doesn't roll. This metro logo is not very effective.

The border booster should be removed from the circle, and the background outside it should be darkened.

I realized that the old city center will not survive, you need to redraw everything from scratch. To tightly distribute the weight, I drew a diagram in a notebook.



It became clear that the streets need to be drawn at 45 °, violating geography. It looks aesthetically pleasing and drawing has become easier. They decided to trim the most empty edges of the center to increase the density.

April

In April, we tried to make Minsk friends with our circle in the center. They took the smaller part of the center as a basis, so that it becomes denser. All streets under 45 °. Everything has become a little larger. Added a green branch. In the parks he began to paint hills and trees. In the center, a winking smile happened by chance.



Ilya writes:

It is necessary to somehow narrow the distance between the October and Victory Square. At the same time, cross the red and blue lines into the center of the circle.

It is strange that the color of the stops is different from the color of the lines. I would have returned the stumps outside the circle for now.

We need to figure out how to sign all the stations on the left to the right of the lines. Moreover, I would even see how everything would look if the stations on the right were signed on the left. This will allow a denser format to fill.

The green line is hard to see above the park.

The same distances between the central stations and the intersection are exactly in the center ... It is necessary to redraw the center again. I gathered my strength, drew and showed a new prototype to Ilya:





At the same time, I decided to try new designations for the stations in the center and beyond. Behind the center are ordinary hemp; in the center, more detailed ones.



The answer of the art director:

Parks need to be made calmer. Especially where the green line is. Let’s do without a legend. Let's try to sign everything on the diagram at once.

We need to understand what will be useful below. Mode of operation? Fares?

As for the designations of the station in the center. Now they are not visible, lost. Let's look some more ... I

want to write the upper stations of the blue line near the circle on the right.

The river can definitely be paler, it is now arguing with the lines.

The font contrast between central and off-center stations needs to be slightly larger or, conversely, not done. Now almost but not quite.

May

After a couple of days, I collected the next version of the circuit and showed it to Ilya.



Ilya's answer:

Oh, how dramatically it got better. Straight much better and cleaner. For the first time, the feeling is “almost done” :-) This usually comes out 50% of the time. Only the river needs to be lighter. The color of the buildings is weak. Can it somehow make black, but not white? It can look spectacular.

By the way, we need to figure out where to put the princess from the Monument Valley.

Double-check the inscriptions with transliteration, everything skips a bit. The stops are now very pleasant in the center, and outside they are completely different. In the work schedule you need a long dash.

Can we try such a thing for fun? Only the dots are larger. Right, of course, sucks, but I would look for an effect in that direction. I would like not a gradient, but something more graphic:


As for the fonts:

Font "Dean"


Font "Stem"


Font "Victory"


Font "Form"


Font P22 Underground

In the font I wanted to somehow reflect Minsk. A bit of the Soviet Union in modern packaging. We stopped at the font P22 Underground, decided to try on.

I tried the advice of Elijah. He took the colors of the lines from the London scheme. We got up kind of cool.

For a new shadow I used a national ornament. The river remained only in the center, the new font is only in the title so far. Plus corrected the little things that had not been noticed before: signatures, transliteration location and dash.



The result was a strong iteration. I collect the layout and send it. Ilya answers:

It is not obvious that "Yubileinaya Square" is the terminal station.

In transliteration do not abbreviate Ploshcha. And replace subway with metro.

In the line signatures, the word “line” is missing.

The star on Victory Square is unpleasant for the signature. It is necessary to fit stronger. And the line breaks badly from below. Perhaps the circle needs to be made more transparent.

The purple color at the station is not the topic. Better to make it black, but larger.

The comments are clear. They replaced the font everywhere and started adding icons near the stations. ATM, elevator for the disabled, toilet. This seems to be important information.



It became apparent that the pictograms were poorly visible. The pattern around the center begins to enrage, we remove it. The black signatures of the stations are crushing, you need to replace it with dark blue.

They signed how much to walk from the center, added a bus station and an airport.



Then I realized that I do not like what the river looks like. Color and shape are weak. I also painted the arenas in more detail. Kostya was occupied by buildings in the center, so I quickly sketched the arenas myself to be. I overturned the work schedule.



By this time, Kostya painted the Towers near the station. Instead of one of the statues of the princess.


Added towers, painted a new island and all sorts of little things.



Comments Ilya:

It was cooler when the exit points were without “danger”.

Bus lines are invisible, they need to be blacker.

“Lenin Square” move to the right, higher, so as not to interfere with the towers.

Chizhovka-arena ... From a distance it seems that this is a tank.

Does the tree seem to drop a shadow or something? It is not the same and is falling in the wrong direction as in 3D buildings. I need to make friends.

I want to sign the island somehow. And the river somehow with a bend, cartographically.

The comments are understandable, taken to work. On the way, a dispute arose between Ilya and I. We could not find a general solution on the direction of shadows in buildings and trees. Ilya suggested that all shadows be directed down. We were behind the shadow on the side, she gave volume. Kostya on a cube showed an example.

Ilya: From right to left, it’s weird anyway. In addition, you can deceive: cast a shadow down, and the left sides still make a little brighter than the right.

We went to look for examples and measure different shadows on our buildings.







It turned out to convince Ilya that the shadow down does not look very. We agreed to throw a shadow to the right.

We collected the next version. Exit points have become brighter. Signed the island, the river and the bus station. They killed the trains and removed the irregularities in the signatures.



We did not have time to correct the shadows :-(

Илья: Кругленькие точечки возле выходов были веселее. Давайте уберем иконки у вокзалов. Они не красивые. И место вокруг «Вокзальной» самое грязное. Надо что-то там сделать. Вокзалы же относятся к одному месту, где «Вокзальная».

Я: Они реально так стоят!

Илья: Может, как-то так надо вообще, чтобы сломать таблицу возникшую:


Я: И вокзал не подписывать?

Илья: Уже написано «Вокзальная», что там подписывать? Можно эту иконку вокзала зелёной сделать. А около станции «Уручье», такой же синий самолёт большой. И под ней просто текстом подписать: «автобус 300Э в аэропорт».

Я: Но станция метро «Вокзальная» левее самого вокзала…

Илья: Хм, а может как-то удастся подпись налево вывернуть?

Me: There's a blue line right there ... if you just bend it or sign directly on it. Let's just sign it with words, it’ll become cleaner. Then back to this issue.

Signed stations and new shadows to the trees. We replaced the squares with circles at the exits from the stations and in the font. They made the elevator icons larger, drew a new one for the airport. Drawn new bus routes. We compiled a draft version of the index.

June

Ilya:

In the alphabetical index, I would remove both the indentation and the fatness of the first letters. And I want the “birds” to be used as in my Moscow 2013 scheme. And for stations in the center, you can use the same circles as the designations of the outputs. Although ... fat may survive, try it. It’s better to transfer so that there are equally words in the group. It makes no sense to leave indivisible groups in one letter. This is an official thing, it uses one passenger out of 1000. It should look like a background.

Think about where you can insert the signatures of our names.

What did you decide with the arenas?

Arenas decided to draw voluminous, but after the first release of the scheme.



Ilya:

Указатель пока лайк.

Давайте кинем сейчас все силы на вёрстку названий станций и иконок лифта и туалета. Во-первых, выравнивание по правому краю соседней строки — это чё-то вымученное. Должен быть ясный принцип выравнивания иконок. Во-вторых, непонятно, почему они иногда относятся к русской, иногда к английской надписи.

Бесит уголок возле «Фрунзенской». Там и без плашки нормально всё читается.

У автобусных линий кружочек кажется неоправданным. Можно просто пенёк двойной. В две стороны, как у конечных станций линии метро.

Давайте вернёмся к куску вокруг «Вокзальной». Весь текст про вокзал должен быть под «Вокзальной». Нужна зелёная иконка поезда, как у аэропорта. Очевидно, нужно то место, где зелёная линия гнётся, сдвинуть правее-ниже. Тогда станция из неё будет торчать ближе к тому месту, где вокзал.

I'm not sure I understood correctly, but I will show an intermediate solution.



There is a slight nuance. Now you can get to the station from the Ploshchad Lenina station without going outside. But Vokzalnaya is located below the station and does not yet have a tunnel to it. And the train icon should be blue. Another station is right across the road from the "City Gate". This is all important to consider.

Ilya:

I would still look at this version again.

And then I got an idea. At first glance, it is obvious, but ... As long as the green line is being built, the “Station” should be taken out of the center altogether. I finalized the comments and put together the next version.



Ilya:

There are a few thoughts about the new branch. Firstly, you can try to fill it with dots all over, it can be beautiful. Secondly, I would have made her a small station. So as not to interfere with us yet.

Signatures with our names I want to verticalize, reduce and put to the right of the circle, pressed to the edge of the format.

It seems that we just came up with the coolest display of metro lines that are being built. Here is a draft.



I’ll show you the clean-up after I talk about new trees. Yes, the trees. Ilya suggested they redraw them completely. Make them more modern-graphic. I fought for the trees to the last, and now I'm glad that we changed them. I'll tell you a little about the process of creating them.

Ilya says:

I would like to be inspired by the valley of monuments yet. We have cool houses and cool graphics in the scheme as a whole, and the trees are knocked out of this. You can try to generally stupidly draw translucent spheres such as if they were balloons. Look here:

My approaches to the trees:



We stopped at the last option. Version with new trees and a green line:



Ilya:

"20 min from the center · 20 min from the center." Instead of "·" you need a little man icon.

It’s not very clear where the bus number 1 comes from. The

linear arrangement of trees on the street. Karl Marx and Bogdanovich infuriates.

“October” and “Kupalovskaya”. The fig transliterated, I want to his left. Check the rest.

Let's write the time in the Taftian work schedule. 5:30 am to 1:00 am.

And what kind of thing is in the center near the Palace of the Republic? A rectangle on a stick.

Kostya:

This is the screen in the square. A popular meeting place, locals will understand.

I sketched several options for displaying signatures in English in bottlenecks.



And of course, the first one won. All Belarusian inscriptions should stand as if there were no English. After that, the English are put in a free place.



Elevators and toilets were temporarily killed, but decided that we would take another approach in the second version. They also pulled up a mountain of not very important little things :-)

Ilya:

There is concern that the icon of the train station looks like a steamer. Although graphically it is normal.

Trees have become krutetskymi, in my opinion.

The star at the obelisk on Victory Square wants a bit more.

By this time, Kostya painted the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. Made changes and added a new building to the diagram. He put the circuit in A2 format, made bridges for the first version. Then Kostya will draw cool.



Here is all the work for two months in one picture:


Continuation about work in July and launch, read on my website. The most interesting thing there.
Project announcement: Minsk metro scheme.