RE-INVENTING TUBE MAPS - MUSIC, MOVIES & MORE
CRAFTING TUBE MUSIC MAPS, PLOT MAPS & MORE
I work from my studio in East Sussex, where I constantly research and create music maps and plotline maps that represent the musical journeys of bands and solo artists, film narratives, and political events. My music research is unique in that it brings together information from scattered and often overlooked sources, details that have never been compiled in one place before.
By connecting data from interviews, fan forums, album liner notes, visual aesthetics, and historical context, I uncover hidden relationships and cultural patterns across artists and genres. I then translate this research into transit-style maps that tell compelling stories through visual design, turning complex musical histories into accessible, engaging journeys for the viewer.
Selecting the Subject: From Music Icons to Cultural Narratives
When creating music maps, I select artists with extensive discographies and significant influence on music and culture. Often, fans or family members of the artists request these maps, adding a personal connection layer. I focus on plots and historical moments for films and political events that lend themselves well to visual representation.
Making Music Maps & More: Gathering and Organising Data
Research is a key part of the process. I begin by compiling a list of the artist’s studio albums for music maps. I then researched the credits for each album to identify the musicians involved. This often requires sifting through multiple sources and cross-referencing to ensure accuracy. Once I have the necessary data, I begin correlating it to lay the groundwork for the map. For films, the process involves breaking down the plot into key points, characters, and their relationships. For political maps, I track significant events, alliances, and shifts in power, organising the data to create a logical and visually coherent design.
The Design Phase: Precision and CAD Software
Once the research is complete, I begin plotting the map using 2D CAD software. This approach, although uncommon in art, allows for the precision required in my maps. Each line represents a connection between musicians, plot points, or political events, while intersections mark significant moments, such as album releases, character interactions, or key political shifts. Every element is drawn individually to ensure accuracy, and the layout is designed for visual appeal and clarity.
Mapping Film Plots: Translating Stories into Visual Form
When mapping movie plots, I focus on translating the story structure into a visual format. Characters often have their own “lines,” with significant plot points or twists becoming intersections. This method ensures the narrative remains clear, even when dealing with complex or non-linear plots. The challenge lies in maintaining simplicity without losing the key elements of the story.
Political Maps: Charting the Complexity of Power Dynamics
I track the evolution of political events, figures, and alliances for political maps. This involves organising the often complex and shifting data into an easy-to-follow format. The maps allow a visual understanding of political movements, highlighting key turning points and connections between influential figures or events.
Final Output: High-Quality Art Prints
After completing the design, I offer the maps as high-quality art prints in various sizes. Each print is meticulously crafted, ensuring it meets the highest quality standards. Great feedback from customers keeps me motivated, along with knowledgeable input!
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.