Tiles at Oxford Circus

At Oxford Circus tube station, they've been trialling a selection of tiles, to see which ones they'll use on the walls (they're currently refurbishing the station, and will be for another couple of years). The corridor I walked down to exit the station had four different kinds of tile on it, and this notice.

I must confess that I stood and considered for a while the first time that I saw the notice. And, in due course I decided which one I liked. Every time I walked past I wanted to get a whiteboard marker and scrawl 'These ones! These ones!' on the tiles I liked best. I never did, and I still wonder whether TFL would have appreciated that kind of design input from their customers.

Switching from Central to Victoria lines the other day I saw these:

Which are the ones I wanted to win.

The trial tiles are still up, and now I wonder if I should scrawl 'thank you' on the winners... Maybe next time they trial some design options I'll join in.

• 25.3.2006, 9.48
• File under: tiling, architecture, refurbishment, London Underground, Oxford Circus