AIGA published this great little article recounting the tale of how the NYC Subway system went from a labyrinth filled with mosaic and hand-made signs in a variety of colors, sizes, styles, and more–to a highly organized signage system. They made it look so easy!

We’ve all been witness to the efficiency of this system so we don’t even think about it anymore. They made it look so easy! This is on of those articles that you want to print and read offline on a Saturday afternoon. And that’s just one of the design wonders that the 20th century brought into existence.

NYC Subway signs - before

Mosaic subways signs (from the top): 1 train, Rector Street (1918); 1 train, South Ferry (1904); N/R/W, Prince Street (1917); “To 19th,” 1 train, 18th Street (1918); L, Morgan Avenue (1928); “Down town,” 4/5/6, 86th Street (1917); “Up town,” R/W, Whitehall Street (1918); E/F/G/R/V, Grand Avenue, Newtown (1936); M/R, F connection to 9th Street (1915) and BMT, Fourth Avenue (1933). Caption courtesy of AIGA.

NYC Subway signs - after

(top and bottom rows): From the 1970 NYCTA Graphic Standards Manual, Unimark Design Consultants, a page indicating directional information, the cover and and typeface instruction using Standard, not Helvetica; (middle) “Donna” illustration of platform signage by Bob Noorda (c.1966, colorized in 2008). Caption courtesy of AIGA.

Lenin: V. Briskin, 1970

This collection of posters from Designer Daily splashes around a bit of nostalgia from Cold War era design. This collection features posters from the Soviet Union or independent political activist groups for the most part. In my opinion it also shows what designers were–and are still–capable of.

No shots were fired during this war, but the weight of these images was enough to move the minds of the masses for decades. I also find these images liberating. Just the designer and the work. Direct connection. In the age where a computer is king when it comes to design, who would even think of taking on a task such as making one of these posters by hand for every project? A lot of us would really like to do that today. How much of a reality that can be in this day and age is up for debate–at least in a mass scale. Pro-bono, freelance, or highly unique projects can still lend themselves to such retro tech. The thumbnail sketch provides the spark that many projects need. Numerous manual sketches can take a design to a whole new level. But ultimately, the vast majority of design work is completed using the computer in one way or another. Just looking at these posters we can almost see the designers sitting on their draft tables making these posters freehand.

In any case, the posters can serve as a reference, inspiration, food for debate, material for analysis, or retro decor. I know I wouldn’t mind having one of these up on my home office wall. Look for the follow up on their follow up, featuring pro-american or anti-communist Cold War propaganda posters.

Sample courtesy of Designer Daily.