With Intent Explores Massimo Vignelli’s 1972 New York City Subway Map
October 8, 2024
Latham fellows Thamer Abanami and Albert Shum host Season 3 of ID’s With Intent podcast.
In Episode 1, available now, they bring you the story behind the design of a wayfinding resource used by millions of people every day: the New York City Subway Map.
In This Episode
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- The evolution of the New York City Subway System (once made up of many companies) and how the need for a comprehensive and user-friendly wayfinding solution kickstarted the streamlining and unification of the overall system.
- Massimo Vignelli’s modernist design philosophy and his innovative departure from geographic accuracy in favor of abstraction and geometric representation, as well as the dramatic criticisms and controversy following the release of Vignelli’s map.
- The definition and importance of systems thinking in design, from Charles L. Owen Professor of Systems Design Carlos Teixeira.
Listen to Episode 1 of the With Intent podcast, available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and of course, right here on the ID website. Click follow on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to get alerts when new episodes are released.
The List
Inspired by ID’s award-winning list of 100 Great Designs of Modern Times (originally featured in Fortune magazine), this season of With Intent will explore some of the most groundbreaking design solutions in recent history. The NYC Subway Map is #28 on this list.
When the 2020 list was released, Robert Fabricant remarked:
100 Great Designs of Modern Times
In 2020, ID and Fortune magazine collaborated to produce the a list of the 100 greatest designs of modern times. The collaboration brought together insights about the evolving role of design in today’s world.
Fortune and ID first collaborated on such a list in 1959, and though some designs made both the original and the 2020 list, there were important differences in the kinds of designs that we now consider “great.”