August 25, 2004
Subway Map Revolution
This has been floating around for a while, but we're only getting around to posting about it now: Eddie Jabbour, a designer from Kick Design, has proposed a new kind of subway map (above left) to the MTA that would delineate subway lines more clearly and not bother subway riders with information about the MTA's other lines (like Metro-North) which make the current map (above right) cumbersome. An old Newsday article notes two of the MTA's criticisms:
First, the color-coded neighborhoods on Jabbour's map make it difficult to read in the low light of the subway. Secondly, his use of multiple, same-color lines eliminates any sense of the avenue of operation for those lines. Geographical perspective is lost.Peter Joseph, a designer of the MTA map, also added "There is no such thing as a perfect map for a system as complicated as the NYC subway. While the Kick map does have some interesting features, it is not a design magic bullet to the problems of providing clear information to the riders of the subway." In its favor, though, the Kick map does show what the different subway lines do. Gothamist admires Jabbour's effort, but does find the different lines sprawling around the city unwieldy. We think the ideal map is somewhere out there in the future, when portable maps are 3-D and/or interactive. What do you think?
The great designer, Massimo Vignelli, who designed the iconic subway graphic system (link to Cooper-Hewitt's 4MB zip file of Vignelli's program) , designed the 1972 map that distorted the city. Check out this great FAQ of NYC subway maps from NYC Subway. Here's another discussion from the third rail about Jabbour's map design. We did a post about a 3-D map, the Dynamap earlier this year.
|
Advertisement: Gothamist Continues Below!
Post a comment (Comment Policy)
Whoa, that looks even more confusing then the old one. But its good that it shows the individual lines with more details. That is especially true with the express lines, since this NYC’s express system is unique and the most confusing to any visitor.
the current one isn't very pretty, so I understand why designers love the Vignelli design. that said, and in spite of its lack of elegance, I think the current version works fairly well. it just needs to be bigger. much bigger. then they could add more detail (more streets).
As a life-long NYer and subway rider, I assure you, the old one was not only prettier but easier to follow. I don't give a crap about having an accurate representation of the subway system, just show me clear routes and connections.
As a life-long NYer and subway rider, I assure you, the old one was not only prettier but easier to follow. I don't give a crap about having an accurate representation of the subway system, just show me clear routes and connections.
they still need a "how to get there from here" feature on the mta website.
Agreed. The DC Metro webpage has "how to get there from here" capabilities and it has come in very handy for me in my new surroundings.
As charming as the 1972 Vignelli map may have been, the heavy-handed approach put one station (Grand & Chrystie) into the East River. Oops.
Don't forget Joe Brennan's map, which falls somewhere between the current MTA map and the Vignelli map, drawn with the intention of using the general principles of the Underground map for the NYC system.
I'd like the MTA to put out a palm/pocketpc/java/brew version of the map, with 'get there from here' capabilities, which would be updated regularly (daily, if necessary) to account for weekend/late night construction shutdowns. You'd be able to load it onto your cell phone or PDA, type in starting and ending address, and have it calculate the best route (including buses).
Yuck. Somebody tell this genius designer Jabbour to use proper apostrophes.
The Jabbour design is too cluttered with those redundant separated lines for each train. The eye clusters those lines together as a unit anyway. And in real life, the clustered trains share a single tunnel anyway. The lines should represent the tunnels.
I personally like the map on NYCSubway.org map because it minimizes superfluous curves and has simplified angles.
I hate dogmatic high-brow crap. what I like about the current design is what I hate about the Vignelli design (and other sterilized representations). some people forget that every once in a while we make decisions of what line to take based on how much more walking we will have to do to get to the *actual* destination. sometimes it boils down to whether we will have to walk an extra block or not. the 1/9 vs.the A/C, the N/R vs. the 4/5/6, the 2/3 vs. the A/C, etc.
if you're running late for an interview or a play, who gives a crap about a neat design? you want the "closest" subway exit to your destination. now, whether or not the current map is accurate enough is a point of contention, but at least it makes you *feel* like you're making the right decision.
leave formalism to the Europeans. this is New York we're talking about.
Stick with the Tauranac (current) map, it's esthetically better.
www.forgotten-ny.com
Umm...that Vignelli download has nothing to do with the subway. It's a collection of architectural publications he designed.
what about the Dynamap?
London Underground's map evolution has gone through a similar 'curvy' to 'angular and clean' transition: a very interesting page, including the newer and more interactive versions here.
Pete needs to switch to decaf.
hi there
thanks for posting my map & for the critiques.
if you want a closer look of details of both maps you can log on here:
http://www.kickdesign.com/mapcomparison/index.htm
very interested in your feedback!
hi there
thanks for posting my map & for the critiques.
if you want a closer look of details of both maps you can log on here:
http://www.kickdesign.com/mapcomparison/index.htm
my goal was to have a map where the line that your traveling on can be quickly and accurately SCANNED rather than slowly read.
also keeping all the stations stops geographicly acurate to each other (unlike like the Vignelli Map) was my goal
very interested in your feedback!
The current map is not perfect but is very detailed. Only chnage I'd make is removing Staten Island from the map to make the 4 boroughs larger.
#19, I guess you forgot that Staten Island is part of New York City or something? There are 5 boroughs in NYC, not 4.
to Kevin Walsh:
I would greatly appreciate a correction to your 2004 posting of comments on Kick design subway map. It should read something like the credit in the actual legend.
Stick with the Hertz (current) map, it's esthetically better.
deleting
Stick with the Tauranac (current) map, it's esthetically better.
Just because he has been grabbing credit for my work for 27 years, it will never make him the 'designer', 'chief designer' or any other aggrandizing credit that he always generously bestows upon himself.
thanks,
mike hertz, designer of current map AND the iconic 1979 map from which the current map was derived.
Yeah I have to say the Current MTA map is the most useful and People use things like Metro-North Stops, so taking those out while tourists might not need them, everyday commuters do.
Also a single line for the multiple color lines to show the Avenue of Access is So important hence taking that out is completely useless
The only problem I have had is the lack of detail on the street underlay, especially in the other 4 boroughs, they could have more detail on cross streets.
If you look at the zoom-ups on various parts of the map, you'll see that there are some SUBSTANTIAL improvements over the old map, especially with regard to express service and transfers.
While aesthetically the kick map looks good, in foresight it will be more confusing.
Don't fix something that ain't broke.
Basically nothing noteworthy happening right now, but eh. Today was a complete loss. I haven't been up to much recently. I've pretty much been doing nothing worth mentioning.
the 'link' to the zip file goes to a file that is corrupted. FYI
www.gothamist.com/2004/08/25/subway_map_revolution.php