Helvetica and the New York City Subway System: The True (Maybe) Story (Mit Press)

Most often, books on design, present a lovely completed vision of the final product with all their flaws Photoshopped away like a centerfold image. Those of us who have tilted at windmills know the real story behind working with the quagmire of complex institutions.Paul Shaw has forsaken the "healing tool" in favor of a look at the design process, blemishes and all. He shows us battles lost as well as won. The New York Subway system did not begin life as a well orchestrated plan that was delivered as composed with a single downbeat. There were numerous conflagrations among the many involved factions from planners, designers, local governments, businesses, and unions. What we see today on a subway platform in NYC is a semi-pealed onion revealing layers of history.Paul makes a fine story of the toils and shows images from all facets of the century-long project still in progress. He jokingly adds "maybe" after True Story in the subtitle but we all know such a story could not be invented. The book is a combination lesson in history, sociology, commerce, and 100 year turf-wars, the stuff real design projects are made of.My only small quibble with the book is that the layout can be a bit confusing to follow sometimes. This may be because there are so many intriguing illustrations and footnotes that you forget where you were reading. This is hardly a problem though, rereading is a pleasant task and you find things you never knew were there--kind of like repeated trips on the New York subway.By all means, take it for a ride or two.

This book may easily fall into the category of "everything and more than you ever wanted to know" about the use of typeface or letter styles in the New York City Subway system. On the one hand, it is easy to dismiss this as simply a study of the evolution of a specific font. However, when considered in the overall context of the evolution of the subways of New York City into the current Metro system, it is clear that just like the MTA, what we see today in the signage is a fascinating history of designed plans, some political muscle and a good bit of coincidence.In a similar vein to those who study the rolling stock or expansion of the route of the NYC Subway over the years, a variety of people may find this book intriguing. People with interests in architecture, graphic design, marketing, history and/or the subway system itself should enjoy this book. It may get tedious partway through, since it tends to get bogged down in minute details. So, trust your instincts about your level of interest. As much as I love the NYC Subways, I would not buy an in-depth study of train engines and propulsion systems, since that's just not my thing. However, if signage as artwork IS your thing, you ought to get this book!

I saw the Helvetica documentary quite some time ago and I started to be enlightened how often this font is used out there in the world. I would say ever since I started using Word on my computer in my early teenage years I started to love using fonts. As I grew up and stopped using silly whimsical fonts and started to get serious with better fonts than Times New Roman, Helvetica really become one of my favourite fonts.And being a fan of the NYC Subway system, and seeing its usage with its history made for a very enjoyable book.

Arrived damaged. It was wrapped in plastic, though, and plastic not damaged. Book was supposed to be brand new but clearly was not. This was definitely a used product that was re-wrapped. Many pages stained and wrinkled. Other pages torn at edges. Not suitable for gifting.

In truth, this book will really only appeal to two distinct groups. One is those interested in (or studying) industrial design, especially those concerned with signage for transportation systems and/or the influence of government authorities on that design. The other (like myself) is fans of the New York Subway system or of rapid transit systems in general. If you belong to one of these groups, you will find the book well done and fascinating. For everyone else? Well, only you can decide. Perhaps the most interesting facet is the depiction of many of the mosaic and other designs used in the system before the current signage was adopted (and much of which is still in use).

I really enjoyed this book that thoroughly covers the design history of the NY Subway and transit system type styles and graphics/signage standards. The author is very knowledgeable and points out many details most people would never notice. Just the complex history of the last 50+ years is enough to confuse anybody and the author provides enough details and chronology without being overly technical.Overall it’s more like a coffee table book, many photos and illustrations through with some accompanying text. It is also a good visual reference book of the many different variations and styles of graphics and signage still found in the subway system today despite standards created in the 80s and 90s.In addition, all the text is supported with detailed citations for reference and further reading. A detailed list of sources at the end is a great reference for further reading if you want to explore the subject more. I am surprised by how many books are written eon the subject and may end up reading some of them after this.I recommend this book - whether you are. nY read don’t, graphic designer, architect, industrial designer, student, transportation enthusiast, this book will appeal to a broad range of readers. You should be able to get a decent copy for $15-20 and it’s well worth it.

Most books about the subway, deal with the history of the system and how it was built. This book focuses on something most of us neglect when we are down in the subway, its signs and placards. I discovered through this book that they have a history in itself that is as intriguing as its building. Must read for subway history buffs and graphic artists.

Got this book as a Christmas present for my brother who lives in NYC. He loved it, I flippes through as well once he was done and it's really really well written, researched, and laid out.

As this is a Christmas present I cannot give an honest review, but I'm sure the person receiving this book will love it and get a lot of pleasure reading it. Many thanks

Nulla di particolare, pensavo meglio. Speravo fosse il manuale ufficiale della subway di nyc. peccato, ci speravo proprio in una sua ristampa.