To my fellow geeks of the design detail:
I think you will enjoy the following article about the typefaces use over the years in the New York City subway stations and the thinking (and sometimes lack there of) behind many of the design decision made – mixing fonts, color coding, identifiers that can be read at high speed, etc.
My inner geek likes this article for many reasons – especially for all the great questions it provokes (after all, first step to great ideas is a great question.) For example:
- What role does Typeface play in our communications and how could we use it better? What could be added to a typeface to make it clearer?
- How can design be leveraged to make people’s lives (easier, better, clearer, more knowledgeable, etc.)?
- How could urban arts play a role in directing people in a busy society?
- What new technologies might be used in creating clearer communications to commuters or people in motion? Maybe RIF technology posted in subways that send messages to your phone or your watch? Could trains have LED lights that light the inside of trains different colors depending on what station you are in?
Though none of this may effect our current life at this very moment it sure is fun to think about. Anyway, it is always great to exerise your brain especially when we are surrounded by such lowest common denominator thinking, design and stimulus.
Whatever – here is the link to the New York Times article:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.
Pass it on if you have friends who are design geeks too.
