Chicago, IL

In the style of the current NYC Subway Map Design

Here’s a beautiful Chicago L Map in the style of the current New York City Subway Map! 

Michael Calcagno recreated the Chicago L map in the style of a beautiful MTA map design:

In the style of Vignelli NYC Subway Map Design of the 1970s

In August 1972, The New York City subway map designed by Massimo Vignelli first appeared on the walls of every subway station, every train car, and millions of pocket maps.  It became a landmark in modernist information design and was sometimes scorned by transit riders for non-geographical design. Vignelli regarded the map as one of his finest creations. 

Michael Calcagno recreated Chicago L map in the style of a beautiful Vignelli map design:

In the style of 1979-Mid 2000s NY Subway Map by MTA/Michael Hertz Associates

The New York City Subway map, which replaced a critically praised but publicly unpopular abstract design by Massimo Vignelli, was extremely popular because it represented one of the first attempts to combine the design sensibility of an abstract map with the comfortable, recognizable geography of a traditional map. While the cartography slightly resembles the real geography of New York City, it has been carefully and extensively manipulated to improve legibility in congested areas. Much of the design work was done by the fine artist and designer Nobu Siraisi.

Michael Calcagno recreated the Chicago "L" map in the style of 1979 NYC Subway map design:

In the style of Unique blend designs of both 1979 MTA & Hagstrom subway maps by Michael Calcagno

Michael Calcagno decided to try blended map designs from the 1979 MTA subway map (Michael Hertz Associates) and the 1940s Hagstrom subway map and came out beautifully. 

Michael Calcagno recreated Chicago "L" map in the style of blended NYC Subway map designs:

In the style of 1967 NYC Subway's Chrystie Street Connection Map

In 1967 NYC Subway opened the Chrystie Street connection in lower Manhattan, it brought together several BMT and IND lines with numerous routing changes. This brochure with a unique map design had several route changes affected by the new connection. This is where he can recreate many maps in that unique style.

Michael Calcagno recreated Chicago "L"  in the style of NYC Subway's Chrystie Street Connection map design:

In the style of 1967-1971 Raleigh D’Adamo-designed NYC Subway Map

Raleigh D’Adamo designed NYC Subway maps between 1967 and 1971

Michael Calcagno recreated Chicago L map in the style of NYC Subway's Raleigh D’Adamo map design:

In the style of 1970s New York Telephone Company-designed NYC Subway Map

New York Telephone Company designed the New York City Subway Map in their phone books.

Michael Calcagno recreated the Chicago L map in the style of the New York Telephone Company map design:

There are 3 versions of this map, Left: B/W map, Middle: Colorized map, and Full Color map.

Metra map in the style of Modern Los Angeles (LA Metro) map

This modern map design of LA Metro is still in use on their system.

Michael Calcagno recreated the Metra map in the style of modern LA Metro map design:

Chicago L (current service) in the style of Alan Grady's late 1980s Car Card L map

Alan Grady designed this cool map that was seen above L interior doors in the late 1980s.

Michael Calcagno recreated the car card map in the style of the late 1980s version:

Metra map in the style of the New York MTA Commuter Rail map

This design is based off New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority Commuter Rail map for Long Island RailRoad and MetroNorth Railroad in the states of NY and Connecticut.

Michael Calcagno recreated the Metra map in the style of the New York MTA Commuter Rail map:

You can download higher-res JPG here 

In the style of the Modern Washington, DC Metrorail (WMATA) map (Lance Wyman style)

This modern map design of WMATA is still in use on their system.

Michael Calcagno recreated the Chicago Transit map in the style of modern WMATA map design:

Download here for high-res JPG map (updated 4-9-2025)

To purchase this map

Chicago’s current ‘L’ system, redesigned in the style of Maxwell Roberts’ 1951 Hagstrom-inspired NYC map

Inspired by Maxwell Roberts’ schematic redesign of the 1951 Hagstrom NYC Subway map, I wanted to see what that same structured, symmetrical approach could do for today’s Chicago ‘L’.

This isn’t just a retro skin. What really stuck with me from Roberts’ design philosophy is his focus on respecting the natural layout of the city while emphasizing clarity, flow, and legibility. I referenced topography loosely, but let the rhythm and geometry of the lines guide the form—just like he did with NYC.

The result looks like a map from the mid-20th century, but it represents the CTA as it runs today. Part homage, part design experiment, and fully grounded in Chicago.

Maxwell warned that without an inset for the Loop, Chicago’s grid always wins—and he’s right. I was able to match nearly everything, but a few stations refused to cooperate without warping the geometry. Still, I wanted to keep the full Loop in the main map, which made the challenge even more rewarding.

Click here to download a hi-res JPG map (Updated May 17, 2025)

To purchase a 20x30" map

Chicago, Curved...

A modern CTA map in classic 1937 fish-eye style

This map reimagines one of Chicago’s most iconic transit visuals—the 1937 “fish-eye” map published by the Chicago Rapid Transit Company. “Chicago, Curved” blends that historic perspective with a fully updated rendering of today’s CTA system, including all eight lines and current service patterns.

Designed with care and precision, this piece celebrates the legacy of transit cartography while bringing a distinctly modern clarity to the curves, color, and flow of the city’s rail network.

Download high-res JPG map (updated with several corrections, 6/9/25)

To purchase a square poster in a variety of sizes, click here

An Isometric Take on the Chicago ‘L’

For my first isometric transit map, I chose the Hagstrom/Maxwell Roberts diagrammatic style as the foundation—clean, geometric, and perfectly suited for dimensional reimagining. The diagram's clarity made it ideal for building something playful yet grounded in real-world structure.

From there, I added visual depth: elevated pillars to highlight the iconic ‘L’, tunnel portals where lines dip underground, bridges crossing the river, and embankments that anchor the system to the city’s landscape. These elements aren’t just artistic touches — they reflect the layered, lived-in feel of Chicago’s transit infrastructure.

And just for fun? Look closely at Cicero Green Line station — you’ll spot a lone photographer aiming eastward, camera ready. Geeking out over the beauty of trains, with the backdrop of the iconic Chicago skyline in the distance.

Download high-res JPG map (6/23/25)

To purchase a 30"x20" poster, *Coming Soon*

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