NYC Adopts Compass Decals

NYC compass decal This time it’s for real. A year and a half after John Emerson proposed compass points at subway entrances, and guerrilla-style compass roses began appearing on city sidewalks, the New York City Department of Transportation announces temporary compass decals outside four subway stops. John’s reaction, New York Times article. Via Kottke.

Previously: Guerrilla Wayfinding.

Posted on Sunday, October 21, 2007 at 8:10 PM
Categories: Miscellany, New York
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Comments

Great idea. But.

Why is there so much black space? The NSEW and street names are sooo smaaaall. It's all compass rose, and N isn't even highlighted to give you an index.

Why not make the compass rose a supporting background and have UPTOWN and DOWNTOWN in BIG LETTERS that you can see in a crowded rush, and big numerals for the streets and avenues?

And it should be a BIG "E 42nd St", not a dainty "East 42nd Street". A BIG LEXington or 3rd and a little Av.

And get rid of the NE, SE, SW, NW pointers. The island isn't really North-South anyway, and there are vanishingly few diagonal streets in Manhattan, so they are just wrong.

Anyway, a great idea, but there's so much more it could be. Uptown, Downtown, Eastside, Westside. Hey, the subways in midtown say Uptown and Downtown, not north and south.

Consistency, culture, brand. The people ride in a hole in the ground.

[TypeKey Profile Page] trm | 10/23/2007 at 9:16 PM | #

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