Harry Beck and 17th-century Ottoman mapmaker

Henry C. “Harry" Beck (1903-1974) was a graphic designer who is best known for his classic, simple, graphical representation of the London subway system. He devised the map in 1933 and it is still used today.

Mapmaking reached a zenith in the 16th century Ottoman empire. By the 17th century, Ottoman mapmakers were shifting from medieval to more modern geography, basing much of their mapmaking on what they were learning from European explorers and cartographers.