Track Changes
April 28, 2008
Massimo Vignelli's 1972 New York subway map was hailed as an instant graphic design classic. Now, in addition to updating his famous diagram, Vignelli has signed 500 limited-edition prints available exclusively through Men's Vogue.
Before New York's familiar convoluted subway map was introduced in 1979, the city relied on the sleek modernist vision of Massimo Vignelli's indelible 1972 design: each train line represented by a color, each stop by a dot. The plan was as visually utopian as it was elegant — paths running on 45- and 90-degree angles, an understated gray square marking Central Park, and type set in clear Helvetica. It was hailed as an instant classic of graphic design. But it left many feeling stranded. "People expected a map instead of a diagram," Vignelli, 77, says. "But diagrammatic representation is common practice around the world since the London Underground map of the thirties." Now, with some urging from Men's Vogue, Vignelli (along with his team of Yoshiki Waterhouse and Beatriz Cifuentes-Caballero) has updated his famous, ultra-collectible plan, taking into account more than 30 years' worth of changes. He's still unwilling to play tour guide: "On purpose we rejected any visual reference to nature or landmarks." Vignelli will release 500 signed limited-edition art prints of the never-before-seen update — available exclusively for Men's Vogue — with proceeds to benefit Omar Freilla's nonprofit Green Worker Cooperatives. The hope is to get the daily commutes — and aesthetic sensibilities — of New Yorkers back on the right track.
