ZERO PER ZERO: Essence of a city on a Railway Map
ZERO PER ZERO is a graphic design studio based in Seol and created by the art director Kim Ji-Hwan and the illustrator Jin Sol. Their works have been recognized by New York’s MoMA and their products are being sold at MoMA stores in New York, Tokyo and Seoul.
The Inspirations
The studio recreates railway maps that aim to connect visitors to the city in an immediate and warmer way. In contrast to conventional maps that want to express their content as clearly as possible, the works of the studio of Seoul incorporate elements of identity of each city in its map, maintaining the accuracy of the information.
The starting point of this artistic journey is the observation of the London Underground map created in the 1930s by Harry Beck. Beck had established by convention that the distance between each station on the map would be the same, although this did not correspond to geographical reality. The studio decided to try to follow Beck’s footsteps by further modifying the maps of the subways, adding information and incorporating the symbol of the particular city.
Barcelona and Paris
The studio has made metropolitan maps of several cities in which all cities are considered as living organisms that develop and expand. What is at the heart of the creators is therefore create a direct relationship between map and city, inserting symbols that characterize the place in their design. To facilitate the orientation of visitors they have added points of interest and how you can reach them. As for the map of Barcelona for them it seemed inevitable to incorporate the unmistakable style of Antoni Gaudí, which animate the whole city. The map then presents curves inspired by the natural world, a mosaic pattern and light and bright colors.
Because ZERO PER ZERO’s railway maps express each city’s cultural and artistic sensibility, while traveling the city or researching and experiencing the various cultural aspects of the city, the symbol which is possible to be reinterpreted into a railway system is decided.
Zero per zero
Paris map incorporates the city’s heart monument, the Eiffel Tower. The choice to use this work as a base has put the studio in great difficulty, in fact its form did not favor a clear arrangement of metro lines. It took more than three years to complete and compromises had to be made by adding other elements, such as clouds, to make them be able to insert all the information. Their great effort was however rewarded by a balanced and clear composition.
Osaka and New York
The map of New York has a big heart as a symbol, a clear reference to Milton Glaser and the famous “I <3 NY” design. Like a beating heart the chart contains the major points of interest within the Big Apple, such as Central Park ot The Empire State Building.
For the map you Osaka the studio was inspired by the main ingredient of a typical dish, Takoyaki, which is the octopus. All lines develop fluidly around center just like the tentacles of an octopus. Moreover the city is tied to the surrounding cities of Kyoto, Kobe, Nara and Wakayama, for this reason these cities are included in the map.
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Featured Image: Seoul by Zero per Zero
