Michael Hertz Associates (MHA) is a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

graphic design firm, best known for its 1979 design of the

New York City Subway map Many transit maps for the New York City Subway have been designed since the subway's inception in 1904. Because the subway was originally built by three separate companies, an official map for all subway lines was not created until 1940, when t ...

and the station and

subway car A passenger railroad car or passenger car (United States), also called a passenger carriage, passenger coach (United Kingdom and International Union of Railways), or passenger bogie (India) is a railroad car that is designed to carry passen ...

signage systems Signage systems are visually oriented information systems, consisting of signs, maps, arrows, color-codings systems, pictograms and different typographic elements. Signage systems differ from other methods of information presentation because they ...

that the map engendered. The 1979 map, with some modifications, remains in use today. The firm specializes in maps and environmental graphics for mass transit systems.

History

The firm was founded in 1969 by Michael Hertz (1932–2020). Their body of work also includes many other transit projects in the New York City metropolitan area as well as maps for major transit systems such as Houston, Texas,

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, and other smaller transit systems throughout the United States. The

, which replaced a critically praised but publicly unpopular abstract design by

Massimo Vignelli Massimo Vignelli (; January 10, 1931 – May 27, 2014) was an Italian designer who worked in a number of areas including packaging, houseware, furniture, public signage, and showroom design. He was the co-founder of Vignelli Associates, with his ...

, was extremely popular because it represented one of the first attempts to combine the design sensibility of an abstract map with the comfortable, recognizable geography of a traditional map. While the cartography slightly resembles the real geography of New York City, it has been carefully and extensively manipulated to improve legibility in congested areas. Much of the design work was done by the fine artist and designer

Nobu Siraisi Nobuyuki "Nobu" Siraisi (1934 – March 10, 2016) was an artist and designer. He was a major contributor on the team at Michael Hertz Associates that produced the 1978 redesign of the New York City Subway map. Siraisi was born in Japan as the you ...

, who worked for MHA during the period this map was under development. In addition to its transit system work, MHA has also produced a wide variety of maps and related designs for clients including the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorize ...

, the

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Ar ...

, the

New York City Law Department The New York City Law Department, also known as the Office of the Corporation Counsel,http://www.nyc.gov/html/law/downloads/pdf/NYLD%20History%20Card.pdf is the department of the government of New York City responsible for most of the city's lega ...

, and other clients in the business, non-profit and public sectors. The company has received many transit design awards, including

The National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

' Commendations for Design Excellence. Their work has appeared in a

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

traveling exhibition and an American Passenger Transport Association manual on excellence in transit system map design.

References

External links

* {{NYCS const, map
Catalog of NYC subway maps since 1944

1972 NYC subway map by Vignelli

Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority map
designed by MHA
University of Michigan transit system map
designed by MHA Industrial design firms Information graphic designers Graphic design studios Design companies of the United States