Meaning 2 - Symbolic, Representational and Abstract

Representational

- The colors of the map represent the trains that transport people all over the city

- The viewer perceives a road map of the transit lines that makes it easy to travel throughout the city without getting lost.

- The colors directly correspond to the abstract level so that the viewer can have a clear picture of where to go and on the symbolic level, the colors help delineate their meaning in the grand scheme of city travel

Abstract

- The actual transit map is the abstraction and it tells the user that there is a centralized system of transit with interlocking networks that will get you where you want to go.

- The viewer feels comfortable with the linear map because it is familiar and works like a flow chart of metro traffic.

- The abstract works perfectly with the symbolic to illustrate the path of the network and works with the representational to demonstrate the ease of mobility for the transit lines.

Symbolic

- The text and the map legend demarcate transit stops, stations and direction

- The viewer is not overwhelmed by the transit system and welcomes the addition of the symbols so as to guide them through the city.

- The symbolic gives meaning to the abstraction so the viewer can not get lost and it simplifies the representational so that the viewer can see there are only six distinct lines that sometimes overlap but are distinct in their direction.