The story of signage on the New York City Subway System is both a long and fascinating tale. Once a bewildering hodgepodge of lettering styles, sizes, shapes, materials, colors, and messages, the signs began a radical transition in the mid-1960s. In the hands of design firm Unimark International, the system’s mess gave way to the clarity that reigns today, with station names, directions, and instructions in crisp Helvetica. Ultimately, order triumphed over chaos—but the journey was anything but easy.
 

New York design historian and lettering artist Paul Shaw knows the story better than anyone, and he’ll be on hand to share it with us on November 16. In a presentation structured after his acclaimed book, Helvetica and the New York City Subway System, he’ll regale us with the ins and outs of how the subway system acquired the distinctive look it has today. Join us for an insightful talk with the author, and buy a book and t-shirt on the way out.

 

About Paul Shaw
PAUL SHAW, a design historian and lettering artist in New York City, teaches at Parsons School of Design and the School of Visual Arts. He is the recipient of fellowships for his scholarship from the American Academy in Rome, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas, and the American Printing History Association. His design work has won awards from AIGA, the Type Directors Club; and Print, Baseline and Letter Arts Review magazines. He is the co-author of Blackletter: Type and National Identity and writes about design history, typography, lettering and calligraphy in the blog Blue Pencil. He recently co-taught a course at Parsons devoted to the redesign of the New York City subway map.