Many of us think that we’re transit experts. We use the New York City subway system everyday. We debate the best routes. We know the exact subway car door that opens at the perfect exit once we arrive at our destination. We’re veterans. Veterans, that is, until we need to travel to an unfamiliar neighborhood.
In times like these, we have more in common with a tourist. It’s that feeling of basic spatial comprehension while secretly feeling lost. Some common habits of the veteran rider turned tourist might include a rapid glance at the map, a quick scan of signage or removing an ear bud to listen for muffled speaker announcements. These are moments of confusion in the underground in the MTA subway system, that are often remedied by a consistent wayfinding system, directional signage, and brand messaging. We have these tactics in place now, but this wasn’t always the case.
Prior to the 1970’s, if a rider used the subway this confusion lasted significantly longer. After a series of reorganizations, the newly formed Metropolitan Transit Authority / New York City Transit was left with a branding crisis. The former collection of independent subway entities (known as the IRT, BMT and IND systems) needed order.
Missing signage, confusing subway line groupings and operational inconsistency depleted rider trust. Recognizing the need to communicate these values through branding, the MTA/NYCT was pointed to the renowned team at Unimark International. Leading efforts was Bob Noorda, who spent months auditing the existing lines, observing messaging and overall rider experience at hundreds of stations.
He extensively studied everything from traffic flows to optimal signage locations. Noorda excelled at organizing complex systems and along with his Unimark partners, which included Massimo Vignelli (of 1972 NYC system diagram fame) and established a common visual language for the system rooted in a minimalistic modern style. Through clean typography, color-coded subway lines, and clear signage directions, Noorda and Unimark were able to take seventy years of scattered communication and transform it into what is now known as a universally recognized form of wayfinding.
Our work with the MTA mirrored a similar vision, to aid riders through everyday trials of miscommunication underground. Intersection’s ongoing work with MTA On the Go kiosks provide real-time service and schedule information to riders directly on the subway platform. In addition, the kiosks also serve as wayfinding tools where visitors can search directions to their destination. Even for veterans of the subway, this can be useful when embarking on a new neighborhood.
