Metropolitana Milanese, the company that built and originally operated Milan’s first underground line, is known for a visual identity that became a landmark of Italian modernist design. The identity was developed in the early 1960s by Dutch-born designer Bob Noorda, working with the architecture studio of Franco Albini and Franca Helg, who were responsible for the stations of Linea 1.[1]
Design and History
In 1962, the Società Metropolitana Milanese commissioned Franco Albini and Franca Helg to develop the station designs for Linea 1, with Bob Noorda (of Unimark International) tasked with the wayfinding and symbol.[1] Noorda’s original proposal was a mirrored double “M,” one inverted above the other, which read as the initials of Milan Metro and as a graphic expression of two Milans, one above ground and one below.[1] The curved forms of the letters were derived from the handrails designed by Albini and Helg for the stations.[1]
Despite the support of Albini, the double-M symbol was rejected by the president of the metro project, who swayed the board of directors against it.[1] Noorda later commented, “It’s the only thing that didn’t work out. There was a president who was opposed to this brand, which Albini really liked instead.”[2] The rejected design was replaced with a regular “M” in a red square, which remains in use today.[1]
The current station “M” logo, whose profile follows the facade of Milan Cathedral (the Duomo), is credited to Noorda, who is also described as the author of the MMspa logo, the engineering company that succeeded the original Metropolitana Milanese.[3] The overall visual communication project for Linea 1 was awarded the Compasso d’Oro in 1964.[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The red color used in the identity was derived from the Milanese coat of arms and ran throughout the wayfinding system, giving Linea 1 its popular identification as the Linea Rossa (Red Line).[1] The white and red colors of the first metro line are also described as the colors of Milan.[4]
Typography and Design
Alongside the symbol, Noorda developed a custom typeface for the signage system. He modelled it on the “grotesque” style but found those faces appeared too “sharp or dark” when enlarged for signage, so he redesigned the alphabet to create an intermediate version, varying the weights, enlarging the counters and shortening the descenders and ascenders.[1] The font, known as Noorda, is described as a customized version of Helvetica, hand-drawn by Noorda with 64 letters and signs to suit the functional needs of the system.[2] The type design project, created in 1964, was based on a reworking of Helvetica and originally did not include lowercase letters.[5]
In the early 2000s, the design agency Inarea began working with ATM, Milan’s transport company, and later developed a proprietary typeface called Metro Type, described as a faithful interpretation of Noorda’s original work, used today for text elements on panels and informational signage.[5]
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