Massimo Vignelli's NYC Subway Diagram

Massimo Vignelli
NYC Subway Diagram, 2008
Massimo Vignelli is an internationally-renowned graphic designer. This diagram is updated from his 1972 design. The simplicity of the design makes for an aesthetically pleasing composition while also seeming to make the transit system appear at least a little less overwhelming! Vignelli likes to use Helvetica in his works and I'd like to use that statement as an opportunity to make an observation about Helvetica. Something about the clean harmony of the letterforms makes me divided about its use in certain settings. In a corporate or mass transit context, it comes across as friendly and affable, but when used in more intimate settings such as the signage for a cozy cafe or a cute little boutique, dare I say it comes across as a little aloof? I'm not sure.
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Futura typeface by Paul Renner

Paul Renner
Futura Typepace, 1928
Dessau Bauhaus/Deutscher Werkbund
Paul Renner, in addition to being a typographer, also wrote about typography; his work influenced functional modernist design. Futura is an example of this; the unadorned, geometric letterforms echo the shapes of the furniture and architecture of the Bauhaus style and even the De Stijl style. It is such an influential and popular typeface that it is used to this day--even in the hallways of the art department, you're bound to see it from time to time!
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