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Star: New Signs for the TTC

Yet more, somewhat different signage for the TTC Museum's special exhibit: "TTC Branding - a bi-polar history."
 
Spotted on the north-east corner of Queen & Uni last night...

5a62a9b333934996b90a70f58df43bd4_7.jpg
 
I really don't see the point of changing the signage at subway stations every 5 years ... we've already got stations with different signage at each of 4 entrances at the same intersection. Unless we do this to all entrances, it's just a waste of time.
 
OMG! I'm a graphic designer and I've long considered various revisions or completely new versions to the TTC logo. The current logo is very complex with its many overlapping shapes, outlines, panels, corners, faux shield and, most egregious, a pile up of nearly illegible "TTC" letterforms. Think of the iconic London Underground logo or even Boston's simple "T". Both get right to the point and both allow a pause where specific street names can sit to further clarify your location. I suspect the design firm that was hired to redesign the TTC logo was handcuffed with all sorts of nearly impossible tasks. I wonder if keeping the horrible typography was one of the conditions. Adding curved panels only adds to the complexity. My favorite older version, (attached) used the horizontal panel to represent the subway path much like London's Underground logo. Adding wilted curves further dilutes the original intent. Anyway, my feeling is that the revised logo is a giant step backward from an already pretty bad design. To be fair to the current designers, I can only imagine how difficult it would be to deal with the TTC. I have a good friend who taught design at OCAD. One of his lessons was to ask his students to redesign the TTC logo. I've seen some of the work done by his students and I can say that they were all better than the current TTC proposal. Transit logos are important. They help "brand" a metropolis. They act as important locators. They unite and give order and consistency to the urban landscape. Perhaps the TTC's logo is a jumbled mess because it's a true reflection of the city it serves. But I think we can do much better than this. At the very least, can we have a logo that's legible? T T C.
 

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jozl said:
OMG! I'm a graphic designer and I've long considered various revisions or completely new versions to the TTC logo. The current logo is very complex with its many overlapping shapes, outlines, panels, corners, faux shield and, most egregious, a pile up of nearly illegible "TTC" letterforms. Think of the iconic London Underground logo or even Boston's simple "T". Both get right to the point and both allow a pause where specific street names can sit to further clarify your location. I suspect the design firm that was hired to redesign the TTC logo was handcuffed with all sorts of nearly impossible tasks. I wonder if keeping the horrible typography was one of the conditions. Adding curved panels only adds to the complexity. My favorite older version, (attached) used the horizontal panel to represent the subway path much like London's Underground logo. Adding wilted curves further dilutes the original intent. Anyway, my feeling is that the revised logo is a giant step backward from an already pretty bad design. To be fair to the current designers, I can only imagine how difficult it would be to deal with the TTC. I have a good friend who taught design at OCAD. One of his lessons was to ask his students to redesign the TTC logo. I've seen some of the done work by his students and I can say that they were all better than the current TTC proposal. Transit logos are important. They help "brand" a metropolis. They act as important locators. They unite and give order and consistency to the urban landscape. Perhaps the TTC's logo is a jumbled mess because it's a true reflection of the city it serves. But I think we can do much better than this. At the very least, can we have a logo that's legible? T T C.
Click to expand...

Would love to see these too!
 
Coruscanti Cognoscente,
I wish I could show them but my friend no longer teaches and he would have to track down former students to get permission to post them.
 
Like streetcars, I think the "jumbled mess" has been so embedded within our municipal-transit consciousness, it seems rather shortsighted and insensitive to demand a more supposedly graphic-designer-friendly replacement.

But that said, I, too, prefer the subway-bar rendition to today's one-size-fits-all tendency. (Though I wouldn't say the bar represents anything subway-symbol "programmatic"--after all, the same bar was used in the signage for streetcar loops and even office/work facilities (Davisville; Hillcrest))
 
Am I the only one who actually likes the new TTC signs? I think just having the logo like that works just effectively as the "T" in Boston!
 
BMO said:
Am I the only one who actually likes the new TTC signs? I think just having the logo like that works just effectively as the "T" in Boston!
Click to expand...
I guess no one expecting to see 200 of them at all the entrances to the subway. Maybe we'll see 10, or 20; and then yet another new design in 5 years time.
 
Everyone: The TTC logo and colors go back into the early 50s or maybe even earlier-I wonder if they mention or maybe members of Transit Toronto know
the exact age of the TTC logo and when it was introduced...

I feel that it is an older classic that has aged well over time but I also feel that maybe a modern update would be interesting...
I would not mind seeing what UT members and others interested can come up with...

LI Mike
 
Transit nerds who think the existing TTC logo sucks are like dateless wonders who think all women should be like stripteasing/duckfacing webcam girls.
 
adma said:
Transit nerds who think the existing TTC logo sucks are like dateless wonders who think all women should be like stripteasing/duckfacing webcam girls.
Click to expand...
What a bizarre comment.

And why would women want to streaptease to girls? Why the references to paedophilia here? What has this to do with anything?
 
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