Last year, when I wrote Draw the Map, Draw the World about the New York City subway map and Massimo Vignelli, one of the signature designers in the map's history, I was surprised how many people were interested in the topic.
There's been some great writing on Vignelli's map:
- Visual Complexity's look at the map, which I linked to last year, is wonderful.
- Design Observer offers Mr. Vignelli's Map, which was published a few years ago in observance of the subway's centennial.
But perhaps one of the coolest recent bits of media about Massimo Vignelli and his work on the subway map is this outtake footage from the documentary film Helvetica. It's well worth a look for those enchanted with the fellow who said, The only thing you are interested in is the spaghetti.
If you’d like to see a pristine, full size version of the Vignelli map there’s one at the MoMA as part of 50 Years of Helvetica.