CHAPTER I: HISTORY

CHAPTER IV: SIGNAGE PROGRESSION

CHAPTER III: WHERE IS IT GOING?

CHAPTER II: PEOPLE

Table Of Contents HISTORY

he signage system of transit accompanied with the Among the of the Dual Contracts subway oldest of subway the aid of language and signage. signage which station design. These mosaic subway has After the first subway line aka: still stands in our tiles left an imprint that subways today undergone an the Interborough Rapid Transit became artifacts of a legacy Tevolution of design and Subway, or IRT in visual communication. communication since it opened to the first opened in the public in 1904, beginning of the a massive These mosaic tiles twentieth century. construction left an imprint that The earliest accessible project known architects of the IRT. In route dates as early as as the Dual 1904 they established the became artifacts 1904; the opening of Contracts pro- now-familiar tradition of of a legacy in visual underground transit to vided for the mosaic station names on communication on the public launched a expansion of platform walls. The name sustained era of growth the subway tablets were composed of the subway. and prosperity for the system for small tiles in both serif and renowned Tri-state area areas of the sans serif roman capitals. also known as New city without These iconic and historic York City. A century later, transit service. The first “signs” in mosaic tiling found in the New York City subway the New York City subway system many of New York City remains a major reliance for were created by Heins & LaFarge, subway stations was typical At the time of its especially underground, as cation design and gradually became system by 1973. As train cars development, A new wave a transit subway system. the preferred typeface family used “bombed” on the outside and of typography had emerged The San-serif typeface, meaning in subway transit following its “tagged” on the inside rolled and was considered to have a a font which has the extended arm construction at the start of the through the city, the subway cleaner and modernistic and leg swashes removed, leaving twentieth century. To this date, Helvetica: which replaced an older incarnation of the san-serif To this date, Helvetica has remained the “Standard Medium,” has trademark style in all subway signage language remained the trademark across the five boroughs of New York City. style in all subway signage language across the five boroughs of NYC. During the 1980s, there approach in visual behind the straight-lined bone was a period of slow decline for the woes and the graffiti explosion language, which was ideal for structure of a letter had existed since subways due to the urban cultural became intertwined in the communication in immediate the early nineteenth century, but phenomenon of graffiti which public consciousness. It was transportation systems, became popularly used in communi- overtook the city and the subway not until recent years, had the battle between street art and Even though the transit authoity is resolved Helvetica is often by a visual solution. In an recognized as the effort to discourage graffiti, default typeface in signs now feature white letter- subway signage, ing on black, as opposed to the Helvetica only became previously prescribed black- the official typeface on-white signage which had for the New York City once dominated the look of the subway system subway. As it has been signage until for the roll designators, speculated that the December 1989, when the MTA though a diagram was reason for the switch from Marketing & Corporate included for making white to black panels was for Communications Division, the new discs—with the fears of vandalism, while department in charge of its Helvetica—for future other possible explanations graphic standards, issued a new line designations, such was that it was over simple manual. The choice of typeface as the V and W trains. grime, the truth is that the now reflected the complete MTA transit authority made the transportation system rather than the change to increase the New York City subway itself, legibility of the signs and however many of the older signs first contemplated doing so have never been replaced. Standard sometime in 1972. remained as part of the old artwork PEOPLE

ome of the earliest Roger Cook and Don Shanosky of Classic mosaic signage, now historic landmarks. transportation designs Cook and Shanosky Associates, for still remain in today’s having an indirect, but significant subway system which influence on iconic symbol design Snow expands throughout the that is widely used in almost all letters, inspired by Art Deco, 5 boroughs of New communication systems were heavier and more York City. Squire to this date. geometric than the earlier J.Vickers being Squire J. Vickers had sans serifs rooted in 19th- among the original adopted the original century grotesques. For both designers of subway conceptual design of the artistic and budgetary reasons signage; Massimo subway system from he designed ceramic tile Vignelli, a key previous designers, mosaics in a pared-down, player and role in Heins and Lefarge, and geometric, “machine-age” the new-wave of maintained the title as the style. To aid in way-finding modern design in subway system’s architect. he color-keyed local stations the post-modern Squire J. Vickers Vickers created a new to the nearest express station. age, having to style of sans serif capitals Over the next 34 years he was conceptualize the iconic 1970s to accompany the stripped-down responsible for the look of rendition of the MTA map, and decoration of the stations. These over 300 stations. , cation with the tedious use of space commercial printing. An 180- one of the leading and color. Vignelli and page binder titled the New designers of the of Unimark International were York City Transit Authority infamous Unmark: responsible for making the Graphics Standards Manual an international design firm, had made design looked Vignelli and Bob Noorda of Unimark easy, and simplfied International were responsible for making during the nineteen- sixties and seventies, the san-serif the typeface of choice on all although, not in the subterranean signage even before Helvetica sense of “dumbing- was available for commercial printing. down” the standard of graphic design, but to Unimark head designer: Massimo, and his take the signage wife Lella Vignelli. system of the subway into a new san-serif the typeface of choice on was constructed by Unimark terrain of clarity and systematic all subterranean signage even before to set the standard in transpor- modern advancement in communi- Helvetica was available for tation communication, and has since, been a historic artifact in modern design. New Jersey based design- ers: Cook and Shanosky, had conceived a compilation and inventory of symbol signage systems for transportation facilities and international events. These iconic, highly recognizable symbols have become influential in the world of graphic design, and have remained staple imagery in signage produced for the transit authority. A 288-page book published by the Department of Transportation provided invaluable information about the design and evaluation process used to arrive at the system. Cook and Shanosky, are in debt to highly influential European modern designers, particular–ly, German-born Otl Aicher, co-founder of the Ulm School of Design.

Symbol Sign System designed and drawn by Roger Cook and Don Shanosky.

Otl Aicher, known for his influential symbol icons. WHERE IS IT GOING? ur present sub- convenient. There are also it will provide to the economy intentionally designed for more way systems are factors that can be improved in and individuals. convenience while waiting for already efficient; order to maximize the benefits that What will be the new image of the transport. As long as the however, there is the New York City subway system subway system is considered Ostill room for improvement and and the MTA in the future? Thanks to be a necessary means of innovation. Some elements Thanks to technology, to technology, the development and transportation, different plans within the system might not innovation will never come to an and ideas of development will be too efficient when it comes the development and end. There will be additional always be at hand. In this to safety while some can be innovation will never features for safety while there is manner, different functional- converted into something more come to an end. some innovation that was ities and opportunities will be opened in order to provide people with the best subway system they can have. As influential as New York City subway signage has become, it has maintained the functionality of modern typography in design. The development of the subway signage system, having its roots in printed media, has gone on to include power generated symbols which guide train conductors on route, and computer generated voice monitors to direct passengers towards their destinations and safety.