Image from: http://www.vignelli.com/
Nowadays, it’s impossible to think about the subway in New York City without having the iconic image of Helvetica come to our minds. Even if you don’t know much about typography and never heard of Helvetica, I’m sure you recognize the geometric lines of the most famous typeface in the world.
It wasn’t until 1966 that the Swiss typeface made its debut into the New York City subway signage. Massimo Vignelli, also responsible for the creation of the iconic American Airlines logo, designed the new visual identity for the transit company. His love for clean and legible lines was translated into simplicity and brought order to the typographic signs of MTA’s subway system.
Fifty years on, nothing much has changed: Helvetica is still omnipresent in MTA’s identity. And New Yorkers wouldn’t take it any other way.
