For years the London Underground map has dazzled designers and travelers alike in its overall simplicity. It genius lies in its finer details as one of the greatest examples of a schematic transit map, that represents locations of stations, stations' connective relations, fair zones and lines without having to depict exact geographic locations. Its design concepts have been widely mimicked and reused in various other network and transit map around the world.

Some not even related to transit.  Like the Japanese-Swiss design studio Information Architects - Web Trend Map 4. Borrowing from the Underground’s visual style this maps highlights the web’s biggest domains.

While this map uses the transit visual style, it depicts something much more organic, namely the Kaballah Tree of Life.

Meanwhile, artist Yuri Suzuki has taken this map and its story it one step further, not only recreating this well-recognized map in 3 dimensions, but creating it as a fully-functional circuit map radio. 

images © hitomi kai yoda

His  work body of explores communication systems in consumer electronics.  This printed circuit board draws from the history of Harry Beck’s iconic underground map diagrams making use of strategic placement of resistor, battery and certain speakers through the map.  All in the name of helping  the general public understand the complex network as it relates to electricity and how power is created within a working radio.

This version of the London Underground Map achieves the same level of functionality in compressing a large amount of information into a simple and useable presentation, with one added bonus: music.

His work will be on display until January 13th 2013 as part of the designers in residence program at the London design museum.