mydeco magazine editor

I was intrigued to discover (whilst on my morning commute, rather appropriately) that the London underground logo celebrates its 100th anniversary this week. This got me thinking; I wonder how many of us have ever stopped to consider the origins (or indeed the mind-boggling success) of this ubiquitous design? I certainly hadn't...

It turns out that the logo was originally designed to make the station names more visible but, since evolving to become one of the world's most instantly recognisable designs, it is now featured on all of the capital's transport, from boats to buses (as well as a fair few pieces of merchandise).

After being re-jigged a bit in 1913 (original incarnations featured a solid circle) the roundel became the deisign we all know and love today and perhaps the world's most effective corporate logo. Since then, it has been interpreted and reworked by many artists in advertising and promotional materials, as shown in a recent exhibition at the London Transport Museum.

I'm sure the original designers would be chuffed to know that Art on the Underground have embraced this spirit of reinterpretation by commissioning 100 contemporary artists to make new works of art inspired by the much-loved roundel. These will be on display at the A Foundation Gallery at the Rochelle School, London, from today until the end of the month. Not one to miss out on a good exhibition, I'll certainly be popping along to check it out.