London Underground lines get custom lettering

Just as your handwriting reflects your unique personality, custom lettering can express the nature of a brand, and railway lines appear to be no exception.

Most of London’s inhabitants are aware that each underground line has its own personality, perhaps deriving from the general nature of its regular passengers. In recognition of this, the 155th anniversary of the London Underground is being celebrated by the ‘Lettering The Underground’ project.

As part of the project, each of London’s 13 underground lines has been given its own custom lettering to reflect its personality. Illustrator Nathan Evans was commissioned to create the designs, and said about the project:

“Typography, colours, patterns and textures all combine to create the rich tapestry of the London Underground. These hidden-in-plain-sight details inspired me to produce my most ambitious lettering project to date.”

He goes on to point out that while a city’s locals are often oblivious to many everyday details, a fresh set of eyes readily notices such things and how they create the character of a location. He claims that if people take the time to look, they can find beauty in the capital’s hectic underground system.

Evans researched his designs by first spending his days travelling by tube and searching for inspiration. He then reexamined his findings in the studio and selected the features he found most significant, subsequently applying his own artistic style to create the custom lettering series.

Evans describes the project as:

“…an exploration, a celebration and most importantly a journey.”