Massimo Vignelli explains his infamous 1972 New York Subway map and the controversy it caused. Then he realizes what he should have done instead... Taken from the DVD extras of the film "Helvetica" by Gary Hustwit. www.helveticafi...
No comments, hmm. The map is a masterpiece, though the trunk colors used today are sensible, but the bus transfer info bubbles are an abomination. If you compare the 1979 map to today's you can see a lot of progress, but it is quite busy as Massimo states.
@benfortney Exactly. Berlin's map is one of the most frightening things I've seen for two reasons: 1. No geography whatsoever. 2. You can only tell the name of a line by tracing it out to its terminal point. There's no legend for color codes,.
The Sydney rail map has got basic direction. The western suburbs are on the left side of the map, the northern suburbs are at the top and so forth. The layout is the general layout of the city. I think that is enough for people. Does the Vignelli NYC map have at least that amount of geography?
Vignelli's map was so much easier to read and understand. The current map is cluttered and confusing with lines going all over the place. It's a design failure. People traveling underground don't need geography. It's irrelevant. Simplicity is the key.
