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New York City's Abstract Subway Map

Posted by: Mike Lydon

2 May 2008 - 8:00am

New York City's controversial subway map of 1972 is being updated in the current edition of Men's Vogue.

"It was gorgeous. It was abstract. It was criticized. It was confusing. And it’s back.

With its 45- and 90-degree angles and one color per subway line, the 1972 subway map by Massimo Vignelli was divorced from the cityscape, devoid of street or neighborhood names. It was criticized because its water was not blue and its parks were not green. Paul Goldberger called it “a stunningly handsome abstraction” that 'bears little relation to the city itself.'

Now Men’s Vogue has asked Mr. Vignelli to update his iconic subway map for the May design issue."

Full Story: Such Hubbub Over a Subway Map. Decades Later, Revisions.
Source: The New York Times, May 1, 2008
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