IT’S IN THE UNIQUE DETAILS - MUSIC MAPS
Every one of my music map art prints begins with deep research and a simple question: how can the story of sound be seen?
Each design transforms a band’s or solo musician's discography into a clear visual journey, turning years of studio work, collaborations, and creative evolution into a single connected artwork.
What looks effortless on the wall is the result of months of meticulous data collection, verification, and design craft.
Building My Music Map Art Prints
Each map starts from the source: the official liner notes, studio archives, musician credits, and recording logs. I track every contributor, from headline artists and producers to the lesser-known session musicians who shaped the sound. Once verified, these details are arranged as a living network of connections: albums become “stations,” musicians become “lines,” and together they form a visualised history of creativity.
The Musician Data Project
Behind every print lies an expanding dataset, an ever-growing catalogue of musicians, producers, and engineers spanning decades of recorded music. Each entry links an artist to the albums and sessions they’ve contributed to, forming a unique web of musical collaboration. This dataset isn’t static; it’s continually refined, corrected, and expanded through ongoing research and community feedback.
This research foundation allows me to compare line-ups, trace creative overlaps, and map the invisible studio relationships that shaped modern music. It’s a living record of how artists connect, evolve, and influence one another through time.
Accuracy and Collaboration
Every map is open to feedback from fans, collectors, and musicians themselves. When a correction or addition is suggested, I investigate, verify, and update the data, crediting those who help improve the work. The result is a community-shaped archive of sound and collaboration.
Every name, every note, every date is researched and cared for. That’s what makes these Music Maps more than art: they’re visual histories built on truth, connection, and the joy of discovery. It’s all in the details.
ABOUT MIKE BELL - TUBE MAP DESIGNER
Mike Bell Maps is my growing collection of tube map art prints that reimagine music, film, and culture through the visual language of underground maps. Each design presents albums in order, film plots, and complex creative histories as clear, engaging tube-style timelines created for fans who value depth and detail.
RESEARCH-LED DESIGN
Every artwork is built on original research and careful verification. Albums become stations. Musicians, characters, and ideas form connecting lines. This approach turns detailed information into visual storytelling, creating art prints that bring clarity and meaning to subjects people already care about.
MY STORY
My background is rooted in live sound and large-scale show design, working across music and cultural events for many years. That experience shaped how I understand collaboration, creative evolution, and structure. During lockdown, I applied that knowledge to mapping music and films, developing underground maps that balance accuracy, design, and narrative.
THE ARTWORK
Each print is produced to archival standards and designed to last. These are not novelty posters. They are considered art prints created for people who value music history, film structure, and informed design. They make thoughtful gifts for fans who want something personal, researched, and meaningful.
Mike Bell Maps is where research-led tube maps become art prints, and where stories worth knowing are mapped clearly, carefully, and beautifully.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: What are Mike Bell’s tube map art prints?
A: My prints utilise an advanced visual language based on the logic of underground maps to organise complex histories. By moving beyond basic cartography, I transform albums into "stations" and musicians or themes into "connecting lines." This allows fans to explore hundreds of data points - from session musician credits to chronological collaborations - within a single, intuitive visual system.
Q: How do these maps differ from standard music or tube posters?
A: The primary difference is information density and quality. While standard posters are often low-resolution decorative pieces on thin paper (135-170gsm), my prints are research-led discographies printed on archival-grade, 305gsm+ heavyweight giclée paper. They are designed to be "read" like a book, rewarding deep curiosity with discoveries not found in mass-produced merchandise.
Q: How is the accuracy of the research verified?
A: Accuracy is the core of my design process. Every map is synthesised from primary sources, including official liner notes, session archives, musician interviews, and verified fan databases. By incorporating musician inputs and fact-checking against trusted archives, I ensure that each map is a historically accurate record of the subject’s career.
Q: What subjects are available in the collection?
A: The collection spans a wide range of cultural histories, including music discographies, film plots, politics, and Formula One. Each map focuses on a single narrative, presenting the whole "story" of a subject - such as the evolution of a band or the timeline of a sport- in a clear, high-density visual format.
Q: Are these prints produced sustainably?
A: Yes. I prioritise a carbon-neutral workflow by producing prints locally to the buyer to reduce the shipping footprint. I use sustainable wood frames and archival materials designed for 100+ years of colour stability, ensuring the art is a lasting investment rather than disposable décor.
Q: Why do these maps make the best gifts for music and film fans?
A: Unlike generic posters, these are bespoke cultural maps that celebrate a fan's deep knowledge. Because they are research-led and visually unique (featuring narratives not seen elsewhere), they offer a sophisticated, gallery-quality alternative for those who value the "deep dive" into their favourite artist or film.