Metro riders, get out your crayons … or more aptly your computer graphics tools.
The blog Greater Greater Washington is sponsoring a contest to design a new Metro map.
The current iconic map has come to represent the region, one of the few universal images to connect Northern Virginia with the Maryland suburbs with the District.
But change is afoot. Metro said last week it needs to update the brightly colored spider map.
The transit agency plans to reconfigure some trains on the Blue and Yellow lines, which will affect the Green and Orange lines. Then, the massive Dulles Rail extension project will add another line entirely, frequently dubbed the Silver Line though no such coloration has been officially made.
The transit agency has said it has retained the original map maker, Lance Wyman, to update the original.
But GGW is tapping the wisdom of the legions of riders and graphic designers to find an alternative way. The only prize will be enduring pride… And perhaps it’s an opportunity to put ex-New York Times-er Jennifer 8. Lee to shame for saying the current map has all the “sophistication of Fisher Price.”
Be sure to check out the blog’s specs on what to include.
Here’s also how to submit the drawings:
Send your submissions to [email protected] by April 30, 2011. We will post all qualifying maps in early May. A jury (in formation) will determine the winning map, and readers will vote on a reader’s choice as well.
