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Today’s subway map is an updated version of the diagrammatic Vignelli design from the 1970s. The key difference now is that most subway services are color-coded based on which Manhattan trunk line they use (e.g. yellow for Broadway Line trains, orange for 6th, blue for 8th, etc.) I’ve seen versions of this idea applying the 1970s route colors to the new design. But when Vignelli’s map debuted in 1972 it also featured gray parks and beige waterways, so those are included here too. Lines that didn’t exist back then are colored based on similar historical routes. The W and Z are orange, like the EE and JJ. Though one liberty I’ve taken is making the M blue instead of teal, to better reflect the old K/KK service via Chrystie & 6th Avenue. Lastly, the Staten Island Railway, which was not included on the original 1972 map, is orange, matching its appearance on the lesser-known but similarly styled 1974 Commuter Rail Guide by Joan Charysyn. (Charysyn was a designer at Unimark International who oversaw the physical design and printing of Vignelli’s map.) submitted by /u/archedpathway to r/nycrail |