In 1997, it was digitized and the following year, Hertz did a major update of it. Over the years, the map has been tweaked, too, but the 1970s design has remained. Though there have been some disagreements as to if Hertz should get the credit for the map of or if John Tauranac, who led the MTA’s committee for the redesign, should, most agree that Hertz became the father of the map. One of Hertz’s team members, Japanese designer and painter Nobuyuki Siraisi, went as far as to ride every subway line, eyes closed, sketching out the curves the line experienced to better represent the lines. The Hertz map remedied this by transposing the city’s grid over the subway lines. It’s emphasis on straight lines were confusing to commuters, as well, because those familiar with the city weren’t able to connect locations to subway stops. Vignelli’s map distorted the city creating a disconnect between a tube stop and the reference points above ground at it. The new map also reflected the actual landscape of the city better, too. water was made blue and parks, like Central Park, were made green. For starters, the beige colour scheme was replaced with colours that were representative of reality, i.e. The map that came from Hertz’s firm solved a number of issues that the MTA were keen to resolve in Vignelli’s design. We wanted people to use the map to see the sights of New York.’ ‘People were fearful of going on the subways. Bronzaft who worked on Hertz’s team to resign the map in a 2004 statement to Newsday. ‘It was the 1970s,’ said psychologist Arline L. Their task: to make the existing subway map, created by Italian designer Massimo Vignelli, more user friendly and to entice people to ride the subway. Hertz’s firm was contracted by the Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA) in the mid-1970s. The map is still used today, though there have been some tweaks to reflect the times and the city as it has evolved but what you see on the subway car is still rooted in Hertz’s design. In 1979, Hertz and his firm finished their redesign of the subway map in NYC and went on to become synonymous with transit mapping. Hertz’s 1979 subway map, which made the subway more accessible to riders. In the late 1960s, he opened his firm and over the course of his career, worked on various transit maps, in New York, Washington, and Houston, among other projects. He enlisted in the US Army for two years and eventually worked as an art director for advertising for the Walt Disney Company. On February 18, Michael Hertz, whose name shot to public transit fame when he and his firm redesigned the beloved map, has died in East Meadow, New York at age 87.īorn on Augto Brooklyn-based parents, Hertz grew up in the city and, in 1954, earned a fine arts degree from Queens College. It’s curves, stops, and colours are iconic and it’s easily one of the most iconic public transportation maps. At the Transit Museum and multiple online retailers, the map is emblazoned on everything from mugs to teddy bears to shower curtains to oven mitts.New York City’s Subway map can be a key resource for even the most seasoned New York commuter or a safety net for a tourist on their first trip to the Big Apple. The map helped organize the chaos that was New York City in the 70s, but no one could've foreseen it becoming a bestseller. Much harder to read," said rider Jacob Yusupod. Hertz's map was the first to reflect accurately the curves of the subway lines and where they ran, as well as clearly featuring the city landscape: Parks are green, bodies of water are blue. While maps for the lines had been around since the early 1900s, many featured inconsistent styles and routes while not always showing the streets they ran under - making it confusing for riders. The transit authority sought a new design in order to help make the subway routes clearer. In 1978, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority commissioned Hertz's firm to create the template for the map that is still featured in subway station and trains, and used by thousands (if not millions) of riders each day. Michael Hertz died last week on Long Island. His name may not be well-known, but anyone who has visited New York City has almost certainly used or seen his famous creation: the MTA subway map.
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