Harry Beck designed the famous geographically distorted London Underground map first published in 1933.
Beck was an electrical draughtsman who treated the railway map like an electrical circuit diagram. He prioritized clarity over geographic accuracy, using mostly horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines, evenly spaced stations, and a simplified central area. This made it easier for passengers to understand routes and interchanges.
The Underground initially used Beck's design as a small experimental pocket map. It proved highly successful and became the model for later versions. Modern maps retain many of his principles, although they have been revised repeatedly as lines, stations, zones, and accessibility information changed.
The map is not intended to show exact surface distances or directions. For example, stations that are geographically close may appear far apart, while complicated curves may be straightened. Its purpose is navigation through the network, not detailed street-level geography.