Metro Bus Route Map

     This pamphlet details the route of a specific bus - Line 258 according to the legend above - from Garfield Avenue at the top to Jackson street on the bottom, and back. 
   
     The map implements a graphic design depicting street, railway, and freeway layouts that can be found in other sources, such as Google Maps.  Creating this stylistic parallel allows this map to connect with its readers through familiarity of format, since it can be assumed that the average person nowadays has access to the internet and Google Maps.  This is especially true for people who want to know how to get from point A to B in the best manner possible.  These people would want a map like this, so it stands to reason that imitating a graphic style that they've likely seen before will serve the audience's needs.
   
     This pamphlet focuses on a specific area in order to chart the course of Line 258, which is highlighted in red.  Streets, cities, and districts are all lain out according to their relative distance and location from one another in order to depict the route as accurately as possible.  This minimizes potential confusion from bus-goers trying to chart their course through this map.  The two legends at the sidebar clarify specific graphics and symbols within the map, providing crucial information about the area without crowding the map itself with additional text.
   
     This pamphlet is useful for people who are specifically pursuing information on Line 258's route .  By extension, they want to use the bus itself to reach their destination.  The map, therefore, was conceived to satisfy a public demand for information that will assist their transportation needs on Line 258.  It's place, logically, lies within the buses of Line 258; this pamphlet was placed within slots inside an appropriate bus among many other copies, free for anyone to pick up.
   
     The minimal use of color is essential in minimizing potential confusion for viewers of this map.  Black lines of varying intensities and patterns signify different types of roads - be they streets, highways, or Metro rails.  The minimal use of red to signify the borders of the map, map notes, and legend are part of the crucial function of red in the map itself: the route of Line 258.  This subtle color association links red with the Metro's graphical style in this pamphlet, which immediately associate's the red trail on the map with Metro as well.  The route, being the most important part of this whole map, is visible and immediately understandable because of this.
   
     The idea here is simple: design a map that will cleanly provide information on the local area that affects the line's route in order to give bus-riders as much help as possible with determining how to use the bus.  The problem is to deliver this function in such a way that is also accessible to the public and can be mass-produced at a low cost without sacrificing essential information.
   
     There are not many flaws to be found in this pamphlets very efficient layout.  Readers are required to have literacy in these types of maps in order to understand this, otherwise they will have trouble interpreting the information.  Otherwise, a useful addition would be to place markers in the specific points in which the bus will make stops.  This is a very important detail for anyone using the bus, since they need to know the best stop to drop off of in order to get to their destination as effectively as possible.