Design stories
Introduction
From the logo to the map and posters to moquette, London’s transport design is known across the world.
Discover London’s iconic design through our collection.
Discover more through our collection
Stories
See how Londoners have experienced and enjoyed the city’s music over time. It reveals the important role music has played, and continues to play, in London’s transport imagery.
Explore the seen and unseen designs of the Underground that deliver a better experience for passengers and a safe and efficient transport system.
For over 100 years, posters have encouraged passengers to explore London’s cultural landmarks, architecture and fantastic open spaces in the city and beyond, through public transport.
The ribbon of water that flows through London is one of the city’s most recognisable features. The River Thames has been the subject of transport posters for over 100 years.
London’s diagrammatic Underground map can truly be described as a design classic. See how the map has evolved from tracing the first railways in the Capital to encompassing an integrated network that covers ever growing distances.
Other stories
Tom Eckersley: master graphic designer and king of collage. Read more about an influential poster designer with a distinctive style.
Our Metropolitan Railway coach dates from 1900. Read more about one of a group of coaches designed to be hauled by steam locomotives on the Metropolitan Railway.
Our West Ham Corporation electric tram dates from 1910. Learn how electric trams operated in London from the early 1900s to the 1950s.
Our Leyland X2 type bus was one of the ‘first generation’ of motorbuses to run on London’s streets. Learn more about one of the earliest surviving motorbuses in the country.
Abram Games was among the most influential poster designers of his generation. Learn more about his commissions for London Transport.
Edward McKnight Kauffer made his name as a master of poster design in the UK. Read more about the star designer of LT's posters.
As well as the red bus, the other iconic vehicle of London’s streets is the black cab. Read a short history of the Carbodies FX4S Plus taxi.
London’s public transport system is known the world over. Learn how and why posters were first commissioned by the Underground.
Learn about LT's advertising across history, from enamel signs in the late nineteenth century to digital screens in the twenty-first
Hans Unger was one of the UK’s most important post-war graphic designers. Explore Unger’s lively and varied LT posters.
Since 2004, London Underground have commissioned a variety of British and international artists to create covers for their pocket Tube maps, representing one of the largest public art commissions in the UK.
A look back on the occasions when King Charles visited and travelled on London’s transport network.
Browse by category
Stories about the marvels of engineering that have kept Londoners moving - from buses and trains to escalators and ticket machines.
Read about all of London's modes of transport from riverboats in the 1800s to Tube trains, buses, bicycles and even cable cars of today
Discover the fascinating stories of the people behind London’s transport – including directors, drivers, canteen workers, architects and designers.
London’s transport played an extraordinary part in both world wars. Find out more about the efforts of staff at home and overseas.
