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Harry Beck (Henry C. Beck) was a graphic designer, best known for creating the present London Underground Tube map in 1933.
At that time, he was an engineering draughtsman at the London Underground Signals Office, and constructed the diagram in his spare time. In 1947, he quit London Transport to begin teaching typographics and colour design at the London School of Printing and the Graphic Arts.
He continued to update the Tube map on a freelance basis, but when the future Victoria Line was to be added in 1960, it was done by the Publicity Officer Harold Hutchison. Many other changes were also introduced on the map without Beck's approval.
Beck struggled furiously to regain control of the map, but eventually, the responsibility of the map was given to a third designer, Paul Garbutt. He changed the style of the map to look more like Beck's map versions of the 1930s, and also introduced the 'vacuum flask' shape for the Circle Line. Although Beck liked this version better than Hutchison's, he wasn't completely satisfied and started to make a new map, based both on his earlier works and Garbutt's ideas. When this version, too, was rejected, however simpler and more easy to read, Beck realized he would never get any map by his hand published by London Transport anymore. Nevertheless, he continued to make sketches and drawings for the map until his death.
After a long time of not recognizing Beck's importance as the original designer of the Tube map, London Regional Transport finally created the Beck gallery at the London Transport Museum in the early 1990s, where his works can be seen. A commemorative plaque was put up at Finchley Central tube station, Beck's home station, as well. Recently, Transport for London has also started to credit Beck for the original idea on the modern Tube maps.
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