All posts tagged: New York Subway

New York Philharmonic/Subway by Djamika Smith

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Popular Culture

Submitted by Benjamin, who says: It’s a few years old, but this New York Philharmonic poster by Djamika Smith is pretty cool. Transit Maps says: A fun idea, nicely executed. I particularly like that the route lines appear to be labelled as “A” through “G”: the notes of a musical scale. Source: Djamika Smith’s website – link no longer active

The History of the New York Subway as a GIF

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Historical Maps, Visualizations

A fun little GIF from Appealing Industries that shows the construction of the modern New York Subway in sequence. I’d really like it to be just a little slower, and have a year clock somewhere. Bonus points would have been awarded for showing the construction and eventual demolition of the elevated lines as well. Still nicely done, and almost mesmeric after a while. Compare with this GIF of the Boston “T”. Source: Appealing Industries website […]

Reader Question: Do You Know What the Organizational Principle is for Layering Subway Lines on the NYC Map?

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Questions

Question: Do you know what the organizational principle is for layering subway lines on the current NYC map? I received a question from meltedchandelier​ yesterday that asked: Hi, I’m hoping you can solve a query that a friend and I have been able to figure out forever. Do you know what the organizational principle is for layering certain NYC subway lines on top of others where they intersect on the current version of the map […]

Historical Map: “Wonders of New York” by Nils Hansell, c. 1953-1955

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Historical Maps

Here’s a gorgeous and beautifully detailed map of New York (well, Manhattan, but at least it says there are “many places of interest on the other side of the river”!). It was designed by Nils Hansell, a graphic designer and sailing enthusiast who also worked for some years at IBM (according to the blurb over at the site I found the map, anyway). As well as some 300-odd numbered points of interest (as seen in […]

NEWS: Official 2012 Vignelli New York Subway Diagram Posters Available For Purchase!

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Official Maps, Prints Available

If you ever wanted your own copy of the latest iteration of this design classic, here’s your chance. The newly-formed design firm of Waterhouse Cifuentes (founded by Massimo Vignelli’s collaborators Yoshiki Waterhouse and Beatriz Cifuentes) is now offering superb prints on their SuperWarmRed Designs website. As the description on the website says: This poster of the MTA New York City Subway Diagram was designed in 2012 by Vignelli Associates and is used in the MTA’s […]

Question: Differentiating Local/Express Services

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Questions

An anon asks: What is the best way to display two different lines that share a section if one acts as a local service and the other as an express service? I wanted to use ticks to represent the stations on this map, is there any approach to this problem that allows me to use it? Transit Maps says: The solution here is best summed up by the words of the great Massimo Vignelli, who […]

Historical Map: Working Sketch for 1979 New York Subway Map by Nobu Siraisi

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Historical Maps

As you might probably guess, I’m not really that fond of the current New York Subway map, although its longevity is certainly to be respected. It was first revealed to the public in 1979, and – despite revisions, service changes and disasters – has remained pretty much the same ever since. However, this preliminary sketch by designer Nobu Siraisi, collaborating with Michael Hertz on that map, is nothing short of delightful. It looks like it […]