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links for 2008-11-20

helvetica and the subway

Over at AIGA’s site, calligrapher and typographer Paul Shaw has an awesome nine-page article about the long history of unified wayfinding design in the New York City Subway.

There is a commonly held belief that Helvetica is the signage typeface of the New York City subway system, a belief reinforced by Helvetica, Gary Hustwit’s popular 2007 documentary about the typeface. But it is not true—or rather, it is only somewhat true. Helvetica is the official typeface of the MTA today, but it was not the typeface specified by Unimark International when it created a new signage system at the end of the 1960s. Why was Helvetica not chosen originally? What was chosen in its place? Why is Helvetica used now, and when did the changeover occur?

These are questions that only an actual designer, or someone who is a HUGE NERD, wants answered. He looks at the origins of NYC Subway wayfinding, as well as the modern design’s origins in Milan and (ugh) Boston, and along the way shatters the old “Massimo Vignelli created this identity with his bare hands” myth.

Vignelli still kicks a lot of ass, though. [article via Design Observer]

links for 2008-11-19

  • 18 Nov 2008
  • 7:53pm EDT
  • Politics
  • This post contains political opinions. Reader discretion is advised.

"partisan red meat" or "what happens when you're outspent by $300m

This clip, of Obama supporters answering questions on figures and scandals from the past election, has been making the rounds among the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy (TM). It’s part of a wider work, called Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected, and essentially implies that Obama won because voters are uninformed or are otherwise ignorant. (A movie is being made based on the “art” of Thomas Kinkade. We needed a website to tell us that people are dumb?)



I recommend my readers–right and left–take a different lesson, though: this is what happens when your campaign is outspent nearly two-to-one because of your own ridiculous, dogmatic support for campaign finance reform. It reveals in stark terms exactly why campaigns spend so much money (over a billion this campaign cycle): because getting your message out to over 130 million people reading thousands of daily newspapers, watching 500 channels, and reading an infinite number of news sites online is really expensive. And if you fall behind, voters believe your opponent’s promises of rainbows, cupcakes, world peace, and stable ocean levels.

addendum: One interesting note is that 57% of Obama voters whom Zogby surveyed on behalf of this project didn’t know which party controls Congress. I.e., a majority of voters who sought change they could believe in weren’t sure what they were actually changing in the first place.

links for 2008-11-18

links for 2008-11-15

links for 2008-11-14

uk student visa: the video

A “rap” video about the process for obtaining a UK student visa, developed by the British High Commission in New Delhi for Indian students. The next time you complain about the US of KKK and its police state (ad nauseum), just remember that neither Homeland Security nor the State Department have ever done anything this terrible.

It’s FOUR. MINUTES. LONG. (via DNA India.)

links for 2008-11-13

links for 2008-11-12

  • Brooklyn Bride: Elizabeth's save the date
    I normally roll my eyes when I see Nico's shared wedding-blog posts in Google Reader. You're almost five months in now, and your invites were awesome. (Full disclosure: I may be biased.) But I do like these save the dates. My favorite part: The initials correspond to the actual colors of the subway lines in question! (Not heeding this advice is a pet peeve. I'm looking at YOU, Top Chef NY.) And yes, the subway stop shown is in Midtown; probably the NRQW stop at 49th and B'way. But I'm willing to overlook that.
    (tags: design new_york)
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