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

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

authorities in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, 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 un ...

(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 Londo ...

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

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

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 Royal Institute of British Architects, 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 (UK), North Eastern Ra ...

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

Charles Holden Charles Henry Holden (12 May 1875 – 1 May 1960) was an English architect best known for designing many London Underground stations during the 1920s and 1930s, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London's headquarters at 55 Broadwa ...

. When public transport operation was taken over by

Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...

(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 operation ...

(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 f ...

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

Edward Johnston Edward Johnston, CBE (San José de Mayo, Uruguay 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 ...

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.

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

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 o ...

(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 FCB (previously Foote, Cone & Belding) is one of the largest global advertising agency networks. It is owned by Interpublic Group and was merged in 2006 with Draft Worldwide, adopting the name Draftfcb. In 2014 the company rebranded itself as F ...

Legacy

Control of public transport in London passed to

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 medium-capacity rail system, light metro system primarily serving the redeveloped London Docklands, Docklands area of London and providing a direct connection between London's two major financi ...

Tramlink Tramlink, previously Croydon Tramlink and currently branded as London Trams, is a light rail tram system serving Croydon and surrounding areas in South London, England. It is the first operational tram system serving the London region since 195 ...

, 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, it now serves a large part of Greate ...

services starting in 2007.

References

External links

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