Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

Growing up in NYC means you got to know the subway system…intimately. Most New Yorkers don’t own cars. The MTA is our extension of freedom (depending on the day). I used it to get around from the age of 14 until I left NYC for the Middle East at the age of 26. I had the map memorized.

When I transitioned into my career as a designer, I began to really see the framework of design that made NYC…well NYC. The MTA design system was created by Massimo Vignelli. A world-renowned designer. I had no idea that the MTA and its iconic design was executed by one of the best. The beautifully systematic and simple identity system made the MTA what it is today.

One of the more iconic characteristics of this identity is the straight continuous line used on the signage, posters, and informative posts throughout the subway.

On a trip as I was coming home to Erbil, Iraq from the states, I was transferring to my connecting flight in Doha, Qatar. And there it was in the shuttle bus. The iconic line from the MTA identity system. It lit up a part of my brain that made me recognize it, and it also set off the alarm that it wasn’t in its usual state.

There it was. A stolen piece of graphic design. Made its way to Doha, Qatar on a shuttle bus at the airport. I don’t know if I was comforted by the design that made me ache for home and the subway or if I was upset that someone actually approved this design (STOLEN DESIGN) and didn’t think twice.

Either way, it made me think about iconic design when done well, defines a whole genre, as Massimo Vignelli did for transportation. I could even hear the iconic sounds of the subway, “Stand Clear of the Closing Doors” play in my head while the shuttle took us quietly through to our gate