In 1972, design icon Massimo Vignelli revamped the New York City subway map—the result was definitely controversial, as it won the praise of design enthusiasts while being criticized for being confusing by other New Yorkers.
Although this map was replaced by a more geographically accurate map in 1979, Vignelli has already produced a detailed “Graphics Standards Manual” for the MTA by then.
Access to this fascinating publication has been very limited for years, but the entire manual is now available online, thanks to the Standards Manual website.
More recently, graphic designers Niko Skourtis, Jesse Reed, and Hamish Smyth have started a project to repackage Vignelli’s manual for the social media generation—they have committed to posting pages from the manual onto their Twitter account everyday.
To receive more bite-sized doses of design inspiration from Massimo Vignelli’s MTA Graphics Standards Manual, follow @standardsmanual on Twitter.
[via Fast Co. Design]