Recipes for Wayfinding in the Washington Metro, with Garrett Corcoran

Journey With Purpose

Garrett Corcoran shows us how design can be a bridge between the past and the future. Taking on the challenge of extending wayfinding to digital screens for the Washington Metro, Garrett shares what it’s like working with historical design legacies and figuring out how to make screens feel as natural as those mid-century hexagon tiles.

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Show notes & links

• Garrett Corcoran & Order Design
• Wikipedia walk: Washington Metro, Harry Weese, Lance Wyman, WMATA Image Gallery
• Past Episodes: Washington Metro: Great Society Subway

Wayfinding for WMATA, courtesy Order Design Wayfinding for WMATA, courtesy Order Design Wayfinding for WMATA, courtesy Order Design Wayfinding for WMATA, courtesy Order Design Wayfinding for WMATA, courtesy Order Design

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Episode Takeaways

1. Digital Wayfinding Evolution: The project aimed to modernize the wayfinding system for Washington Metro by incorporating real-time digital information that complements existing static signage.
2. Order’s Design Philosophy: Garrett Corcoran’s firm, Order, focuses on creating cohesive design systems rooted in identity, extending across mediums like branding, editorial, motion, and wayfinding.
3. Metro’s Historical Legacy: The project respected and built upon the iconic design elements of Washington Metro, including the architecture by Harry Weese and the graphic design system by Massimo Vignelli.
4. Success Defined by Independence: Order’s goal was to create a sustainable system that WMATA could manage and evolve independently, a hallmark of effective and empowering design.
5. Design Principles for Digital Screens: The digital wayfinding system employed a black background for better accessibility, energy efficiency, and visual harmony with Metro’s existing aesthetic.
6. Systematic Consistency: The design emphasized a modular structure adaptable to different environments while maintaining consistent elements like screen size and typography.
7. Addressing Station Similarity Challenges: To counter the uniformity of stations that might disorient first-time visitors, the screens prominently displayed station names and clear, hierarchically structured information.
8. User-Centered Design Process: Extensive research, including historical review, on-site visits, and user movement studies, informed the system’s development to meet riders’ real-time needs.
9. Balancing Innovation and Legacy: The project sought to honor the Metro’s historical design elements while evolving them to address modern requirements, like real-time updates and future interactive capabilities.
10. Extensibility for Future Use: The system was designed with flexibility to adapt to inevitable changes, such as potential advertising or interactive features, while maintaining its core functionality.

Guest Bio

Originally from Ohio and studying at the University of Cincinnati (DAAP), Garrett Corcoran is a graphic designer based in New York. Working as Design Director at Order, a Brooklyn based design office, his work is research driven, systematic, and practical. With an approach rooted in purpose, he believes design begins with understanding who it needs to serve, allowing for a strong but adaptable relationship between form and function.

“We think about them a little bit like a recipe book, where here are all these ingredients. Here are the best ways that you can combine them, or at least the ways that we think that you could start with.”

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