Subway maps design

The Public transport train system in Stockholm, SWEDEN, equivalent to the subway in USA, the underground in the UK and the Metro’  in Paris, France, was being planned and set in motion in the midst of the second world war Europe, in the 1940’s. In 1933 there was already a system in place for tramway trains. In the 1950 the new was ready – the ”Tunnelbana”, tunnel rail it would be in english, freely translated from swedish.

The Stockholm Public transport train system, the ”tunnelbana” is also using the same, or at least did use the same measurements as the New York subway. So much that you could take a train to each system and run them on the same railroad tracks.

The original ”tunnelbana” trains, or those designed in the 50’s – 60’s resembled the NYC trains very much. Basically mirrored. Quite different in Paris and London.

The platform system maps, if I can call it that, with all the train stations, also got, and still have, a very similar design of those in New York City subway system. And the original design for NYC were designed by a brilliant Italian design team and married couple. Their graphic design of the map in NYC was so influential, together with the entire design of signage etcetera, that they kind of invented what we now see as Americana a la New York City. Massimo Vignelli of Vignelli Associates was the one of the two who made the graphic design of it. A design company he share with his wife/spouse Lella Vignelli.

Quite impressive how all this interacted so well. Like life does. We are all connected.  Inspired and sometimes stealing even from each others design. It’s what makes life go round and round and somewhat forward in time and space.

The Vignellis are also the ones who literally brought Helvetica Type font to america. Which you can see in many places in New York City, but also in Stockholm City in Sweden.

Stefan Lindblad
Illustrator, graphic designer and artist
www.stefanlindblad.com