Photo: Waka Waka Waka
Simply awesome. Source: MissKateGB/Instagram (no longer active)
All posts tagged: MTA
Book Review: “Vignelli Transit Maps”, Peter B. Lloyd with Mark Ovenden
As a graphic designer with a keen interest in transit maps and a fairly thorough knowledge of their history and usage, I thought I had a decent understanding of Massimo Vignelli’s diagrammatic version of the New York Subway map, which was used from 1972 to 1979. This outstanding book has proved me almost completely and utterly wrong. So much of what we think we know about the Vignelli map is simply hearsay and legend, repeated […]
Photo: NY Subway Map and Tokens, 1990
Great little slice of history here. The photographer on Flickr seems to recall the cost of a token as being 60 cents at the time; Wikipedia prices it at $1.15. As a graphic designer, all I can see is the terrible registration in the (cheap) printing – look at the huge yellow halo bleeding out to the right of the green and red printed areas. (In four-colour printing, green is made from combining cyan and […]
Historical Map: 1974 New York MTA Commuter Rail Map
Submitted by dpecs, who says: Vignelli-inspired map (designer unknown) of the Metro-North and Long Island Rail Roads. On display until March 15th at the New York Transit Museum’s exhibit Grand By Design, on the centennial of Grand Central Terminal. Transit Maps says: Designer unknown? The amazing book “Helvetica and the New York City Subway” attributes this map to one Joan Charysyn, saying she designed it freelance in between stints at Vignelli Associates and Unimark. It’s […]
Historical Map: 1970 NYMTA Graphics Standards Manual “Inside Line Map”
Yummy excerpt from the Massimo Vignelli/Unimark 1970 style guide, showing style and dimensions for in-car strip maps, using the “E” line as an example. Look at how everything is defined precisely and consistently: there’s absolutely no room for misinterpretation here. Want to see more from the manual? Check out this great Flickr photoset. Source: Blue Pencil
Illustration: New York City Subway Map
I’ve definitely witnessed people looking at the real map as if it resembled this – or worse. Source: adamjamesturnbull/Flickr
Photo: Down Here!
Well, this isn’t going to win any wayfinding awards. Seriously, which idiot put a subway map this close to the floor, with downtown Manhattan at shin height? Source: one big shoe/Flickr
Unofficial Map: Metro-North Railroad, New York by Robert O’Connell
Transit maps on Wikipedia can be a bit of a mixed bag. Anyone can contribute, so the quality can range from mediocre to awesome. However, Robert McConnell –also known as “the Port of Authority” – consistently produces some fantastic work. We’ve previously featured his Boston MBTA Commuter Rail map (October 2011, 5 stars), and here’s another fantastic piece. We’ve also featured unofficial maps that show all commuter and regional rail out of New York before […]
Official Map: Post-Hurricane Sandy New York Subway Map, November 1, 2012, 6am
Quite frankly, I’m amazed that even this much of the subway is running so soon after Sandy. It may not be the most attractive map in the world, but the MTA produced it fast, and that’s what counts in situations like this.
Unofficial Map: New York Regional Rail by Carter Green
To say I’m excited to share this map with you would be an understatement. In August, I was contacted by Carter Green, a high school student who had been inspired by my maps (especially my map of French TGV routes) and had created his own of regional rail services in and around New York City. He asked whether I would mind taking a look at it, which I did. Immediately, I was impressed with the […]