Web Trend Map 4.0: Proud To Be A Railway Junction

The fourth edition of the A0 sized internet map "Web Trend Map" is ready for printing. Last week Information Architects Zürich posted the Beta version (6740 x 4768 pixels) on Flickr for review. The Web Trend Map maps the 333 leading web domains and the 111 most influential internet people onto the Tokyo Metro map.

Any domain on the map can be evaluated based on its station's height, width and position. A station's height represents its domain's success, which is measured not only by traffic, but also by revenue and trend. The stability of the company behind the domain is translated into the station's width. However its domain must have proven itself as a significant online component, otherwise even a large corporation can still have a thin station. Lastly a station's location on the map tells two things. First the metro line it is situated on indicates what group it belongs to. Second its position on the map reveals its importance; whether it is a part of the tech establishment, a traffic hub, or an online suburb.

The FontShop network, with its worldwide shops, blogs, FontStruct, and other related websites is proud to discover it is a railway junction between the Money line and the Social railway line connecting to the Creativity line. Thank you, Information Architects. The FontFeed was also happy to find typography blog peers I Love Typography, Swissmiss and its author Tina Roth Eisenberg, and typographic community Typophile on the Creativity line.

The Web Trend Map uses the classic Frutiger Condensed which is perfectly suited for this type of application. It is a highly legible font that works well for readers who may need quick orientation while en route. MetaDesign recognised this when they adapted Adrian Frutiger's design to create FF Transit for the official use of the Berlin Public Transportation Services (BVG) and Düsseldorf Airport. They pared the font design down and extended the family by creating a new set of matching italic fonts. In addition, they altered the widths and spacing of each font to enhance their functionality in different situations.