Jun 5, 2010
NYC Subway Map Redesign
The MTA has recently redesigned the New York City Subway Map. Not a drastic change from the 2 previous designs, the new version features additional information about subways lines and expanded visual indications for express and local routes.
New York’s subways maps are a unique piece of history and a part of New York City’s “branding”. For visitor’s, the maps are an integral part of using public transit. For New Yorker’s it’s an embedded icon for navigating those far-reaching parts of the city not frequently visited. Beyond the utilitarian value of the maps, these design pieces are facing travelers coming, going and while on New York’s subterrainian city. Having grown up in New York, the maps represent places I’ve lived, where friends and family are and memories of good times and bad. All of those dots represent day trips, jobs and people I’ve interacted with.
As a kid riding the subway, I remember the Vignelli’s stylized subway map. At that time, it the stylized version of the city was long in the tooth and when I had seen it, usually looked yellow and tired. It still reminds me of an aesthetic that harbors a sense of adventure and newness.
I’m glad to see that the MTA is posting a new version of the map. I don’t feel any nostalgia for the current version. More so than anything else, I’m glad for the big analog infographic that shows a landscape of options to subway riders.
If you’re visiting New York or a have been living there all your life, you can download a PDF of the new MTA Subway Map here.
The MTA has recently redesigned the New York City Subway Map. Not a drastic change from the 2 previous designs, the new version features additional information about subways lines and expanded visual indications for express and local routes.
New York’s subways maps are a unique piece of history and a part of New York City’s “branding”. For visitor’s, the maps are an integral part of using public transit. For New Yorker’s it’s an embedded icon for navigating those far-reaching parts of the city not frequently visited. Beyond the utilitarian value of the maps, these design pieces are facing travelers coming, going and while on New York’s subterrainian city. Having grown up in New York, the maps represent places I’ve lived, where friends and family are and memories of good times and bad. All of those dots represent day trips, jobs and people I’ve interacted with.
As a kid riding the subway, I remember the Vignelli’s stylized subway map. At that time, it the stylized version of the city was long in the tooth and when I had seen it, usually looked yellow and tired. It still reminds me of an aesthetic that harbors a sense of adventure and newness.
I’m glad to see that the MTA is posting a new version of the map. I don’t feel any nostalgia for the current version. More so than anything else, I’m glad for the big analog infographic that shows a landscape of options to subway riders.
If you’re visiting New York or a have been living there all your life, you can download a PDF of the new MTA Subway Map here.
