4. It took the Designers 4 Years to Design the First Complete Graphics Standards Manual

Image via The Standards Manual/Pentagram

After extremely negative response from the public and design professionals, NYCTA rehired Unimark in 1968 to carry on the work they had started. The New York City Transit Authority Graphic Standards Manual was finally issued in 1970. It was a manifestation of four years of work, including “Noorda’s traffic-flow research of mid-1966, the TA’s station December 1967 survey results, and some of the original design and fabrication specifications presented to the TA in fall 1966.”

A copy of the manual was discovered in 2012 in the basement of Pentagram Design in New York City. The firm obtained permission from MTA to start a Kickstarter project to reproduce the manual. Although the Kickstarter ended in October 2014, Vignelli fans can still buy a compact edition from standards manual.