manhole cover 1

Lately I've been noticing that manhole cover designs resemble stylized icons. Their geometric shapes, linear quality, and decorative patterned elements make them act, in some sense, as logos for themselves. And there is such a vast quantity of manhole designs out there – it's the kind of thing that once you see, you start to see everywhere – to the point where one day you have your eyes glued to the ground everywhere you walk, in the hopes of spotting a new one!

This is the first in a series of manhole covers I'll be stylizing over the next month. My aim is to design all of Baltimore's manhole covers, and see where the project takes me along the way. Perhaps a poster? Perhaps an infographic? Perhaps a research project about their creators, designers, locations and purposes. Maybe all of the above! Stay tuned.