London Transport (LT) was the public name and brand used by a series of

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

authorities in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England, from 1933. Its most recognizable feature was the bar-and-circle 'roundel' logo. With its origins in the

Underground Electric Railways Company of London The Underground Electric Railways Company of London Limited (UERL), known operationally as the Underground for much of its existence, was established in 1902. It was the holding company for the three deep-level "tube"A "tube" railway is an und ...

(UERL), the brand was first used by the

London Passenger Transport Board The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for local public transport in London and its environs from 1933 to 1948. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and brand was Lond ...

(LPTB) to unify the identity of the previously separately owned and managed

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

Metropolitan Railway The Metropolitan Railway (also known as the Met) was a passenger and goods railway that served London from 1863 to 1933, its main line heading north-west from the capital's financial heart in the City to what were to become the Middlesex su ...

, bus and tram services. The London Transport brand was extended under the direction of

Frank Pick Frank Pick Hon. RIBA (23 November 1878 – 7 November 1941) was a British transport administrator. After qualifying as a solicitor in 1902, he worked at the North Eastern Railway, before moving to the Underground Electric Railways Company ...

to all aspects of transport operation including poster designs, tickets, train livery, seat upholstery and the station architecture of

Charles Holden Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

. When public transport operation was taken over by Transport for London (TFL) from

London Regional Transport London Regional Transport (LRT) was the organisation responsible for most of the public transport network in London, England, between 1984 and 2000. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operatio ...

(LRT) in 2000, the London Transport brand was discontinued and replaced with Transport for London's own branding, which incorporates many features of the London Transport brand including the 'roundel' symbol and the Johnston font.

History

Origins

Many aspects of the London Transport brand had their origins in the UERL. The bar-and-circle 'roundel' logo was first devised in 1908 and was used as part of the name boards at stations. The distinctive design, of a solid red circle and blue bar, enabled the station name to be easily identified. Also in 1908 a consistent logotype was devised, which would later be adopted by LPTB. From the 1910s, the logotype and roundel started to be used together. The roundel was adapted in 1912, influenced by the logo of the

London General Omnibus Company The London General Omnibus Company or LGOC, was the principal bus operator in London between 1855 and 1933. It was also, for a short period between 1909 and 1912, a motor bus manufacturer. Overview The London General Omnibus Company was fou ...

. The solid red circle was replaced with a disc and was registered as a trademark. In 1913

Edward Johnston Edward Johnston, CBE (11 February 1872 – 26 November 1944) was a British craftsman who is regarded, with Rudolf Koch, as the father of modern calligraphy, in the particular form of the broad-edged pen as a writing tool. He is most famo ...

was commissioned to design a new common typeface. The dimensions of the roundel were standardised by the 1920s. Architect

incorporated the roundel design into much of the station architecture of the 1920s and early 1930s. The use of modern graphic posters to advertise public transport began in this period is a ratio.

Adoption by LPTB

The LPTB initially devised its own brand and logo in 1933. This was almost immediately abandoned and the London Underground roundel was adapted for use by the authority under the new trading name ''London Transport''. The London Transport name was added to the logos devised for the trams and buses. In 1935 the bus stop 'flag' was redesigned and simplified by

Hans Schleger Hans Schleger (born Hans Schlesinger; 29 December 1898 - died 18 September 1976) was a German-Polish-Jewish and later British graphic designer. Early life He was born in Kempen in Posen, Prussia (in modern-day Poland) on 9 December 1898 to ...

to include the roundel outline; the design has remained broadly the same since. A standard signs manual was created during this period, codifying the design principles that had developed.

Brand development

In the post-war period the London Transport brand was passed to the nationalised

London Transport Executive The London Transport Executive was the organisation responsible for public transport in Greater London, England between 1948 and 1962. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of ...

(LTE). The austerity of the period caused the authority to seek ways to reduce their manufacturing and maintenance costs; this led to new simplified designs. In 1966 Bryce Beaumont became publicity officer and following his appointment a central marketing department was established. Basil Hooper was appointed as London Transport's group marketing director in 1974. These changes led to an increased use of external agencies for publicity work, including the 1979 "Fly the Tube" campaign by Foote, Cone and Belding.

Legacy

Control of public transport in London passed to Transport for London in 2000. The new organisation has continued the use of the roundel as its own logo and has extended its application to all areas of operation, including the

Docklands Light Railway The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated light metro system serving the redeveloped Docklands area of London, England and provides a direct connection between London's two major financial districts, Canary Wharf and the City of Londo ...

, taxis, and streets management. The roundel was also adapted for use on the

London Overground London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, (via archive.org). it now serves a ...

services starting in 2007.

References

External links

London Transport
(Archive) {{Transport in London History of transport in London Defunct brands Transport design in London